The Enemy Within
by Hobbes19
Summary: The Even Longer Awaited Ch 15 up! Max is still in the clutches of Manticore, and Logan, Zack and Original Cindy must deal with Bling's untimely death....
1. Superhero

  
  
Disclaimer: They aren't mine, I don't own. But I wish I did, cause then I wouldn't have to work my boring job 40 hrs a week.  
  
A/N: This is my first fan-fic ever, so please be kind! I am redoing the format of this story because I wasn't pleased with the way it read. When I first started posting here, I wasn't very keen on the ways of FF.net, so I'm making it all easier on the eyes.  
  
Special Thanks to: 'Meka, for her awesome beta-ing talents, BlackWolf for his extraordinary knowledge of weapons and Zig for giving me an idea for a great plot twist in the later chapters  
  
Spoilers: Up to and including Rising then spoilers from Pollo Loco and then Hit A Sista Back (I know that this ep hasn't been aired yet, but I've read the spoilers.)   
  
_____  
  
  
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 1  
Superhero  
  
  
"So, what you got for me tonight?" Max wanted to know.  
  
"Well, I have another run of the mill, Logan Cale culinary miracle waiting for you. How does pasta tricalore sound?" Logan smiled down at Max.   
  
It had been two weeks since the transfusion, two weeks since he stood on his own two feet, and Logan was progressing quite rapidly. He was already up and walking, even if he did have to use a cane once in a while and his gait was more often that not a little erratic. Still, he had come far in such a small amount of time, literally a walking miracle.   
  
"Mmm..sounds and smells delicious. You know, Logan, I don't think I could've asked for a better meal ticket," she said with a grin.   
  
Logan's eyes clouded at that little remark. He wanted to believe that Max thought of him as more than just a 'meal ticket'. In fact, he was almost positive that she had the same feelings he had for her, but he just wasn't sure.   
Since the transfusion, it seemed he and Max were growing even closer. She had come over almost every night, even without an Eyes Only errand, just to check on him and see how her Manticore blood was helping him evolve. He also knew that Max didn't let just anyone ride on her Ninja, must less take the driver seat the way he did. If nothing else since they'd met, that single action had suggested how much Max cared about him, even if they both refused to acknowledge the feelings between them. But he read Max's words for what they were that night:   
"You're gonna have to take it slow." The girl was scared.   
  
"Hey, I'm just kidding. Don't space," she said. "How you feelin'?"  
  
"Never felt better. This revved up blood of yours is really keeping me charged up." Logan replied. It was true: he never had felt better. His body felt so alive since she had given him a second dose of her blood.   
  
"Well, good, I'm glad." She shot him a smile and sat down at the table to start heaping a pile of food on her plate.   
  
Logan followed her lead and sat as well, thankful in the fact that he could sit down across from her in something besides a wheelchair.   
  
"So," he began "believe it or not, I actually have something I would like you to check out for me."  
  
"Really?" She swallowed a sip of wine, and briefly closed her eyes as if to savor the taste. She opened them and raised an eyebrow. "So, what can Supergirl for you tonight?" she asked with a sly grin.  
  
'Wow, does she realize what she actually says to me?' Logan wondered momentarily. Alright, Cale, back to the matter at hand.   
  
"Well, it seems as if I have discovered a black market adoption ring based right here in Seattle. Lovely bunch of folks. They have people all around the country that steal the babies right from the hospital, almost immediately after the kids are born. Most of the time, the kidnappers are dressed up as nurses or interns and such. They then fly the kids back here and sell them across the world. It's a pretty large organization. They have all the paperwork they need for the kids months before they are even born. They must have contacts that can help find info from OB/GYN's all over the US, and these guys are prepared by the time the mother is in labor. It takes less than two days from the time of birth until the baby is with it's new family. Very smooth operation." Logan took a sip from his red wine and waited for her response. He knew that Max had a thing for kids, tough girl or not. He could see the glint that had come into her eye once had mentioned the illegal adoption ring.   
  
"Gotta love the ones who sell children to make money. What do you need from me?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping you could go down to their 'office' tonight and get me some info. I would like the files of the babies who have been sold. My informant works for these guys, and knows where they keep all their info. It should be all be on a couple of discs for you to bring back. If I can get the files, hopefully I can start tracking down the kids and their real families. It's time for Eyes Only to take these bastards out."   
  
"Sure, sounds like it should be a cinch. Any security that I need to know about?" asked Max.  
  
"Yeah, there's a guard on that floor, but my informant says he's just your everyday rent-a-cop." Logan smiled and added "It shouldn't be a problem for a genetically engineered girl like yourself"  
  
"Nah, it won't be." Max returned his smile. She finished off her food and put the plate in the sink, "I'll clean this up when I get back tonight." She walked around to his side of the table. Leaning a hip against it, she asked, "Where is this place?"  
  
Logan handed her a sheet with all the information she needed as to how get to the building and what she was looking for. Max studied it and handed it back to him, with all the details locked securely in her mind.   
  
"Gonna change into your catsuit?" Logan asked.  
  
She shrugged and smiled down at him. "Nah, this is a piece of cake. I'll be back before you know it. Plus, I said Supergirl, not Catwoman. I can only be one superhero a night." She grabbed her backpack off the floor and turned to walk out the door.  
  
"Max, be careful out there." Logan said from behind her, all joking dropped.   
  
Max's smile got bigger, but she said nothing and left.  
  
________   
  
  
Max got into the building with little trouble. It was more like a warehouse than an office, really, and its security features were outdated. The place didn't even have cameras in it. I wonder where they spend all the money they get from the kids. Oh, well, the easier for me to bring you down, you bastards. Max eased her away across a narrow hall that led to the room she was looking for. On the outside, this looked like nothing more than a broken down place of business for some shipping company. Of course, these guys were shipping something besides your regular cargo. She passed three doors on her right hand side, before stopping at the fourth. In the distance, she heard the metered footsteps of what must be the security guard. Taking a pin from her pocket, Max began picking the lock. After a minute, she heard the lock slip back.   
  
"Bingo," she said under her breath and eased the door open, and then shutting it behind her just as quietly.   
  
She glanced around the room, and her eyes fell on the desk in the corner. Outside the door, she could hear the security guard and knew that he would probably be checking this room in less than a minute. She went behind the desk and hid under it. Holding her breath, she heard the door creak open for a second, then shut almost as abruptly. Rolling her eyes at the ineptness of the man, she slid out from under the desk and headed on over to a discreet looking cabinet in the opposite corner. She opened the bottom drawer and flipped back through some paper files. At the very back, there were some about thirty numerically labeled discs. "I guess you boys just weren't thinking ahead" she smirked and started shoving the discs in her backpack. "Well, Eyes Only will be more than happy to show you the error of your ways."  
  
  
________  
  
  
Riding back to Logan's, Max couldn't help but think about another time not too long ago she was riding her Ninja. Not driving it though, she had left that to Logan. The thought caused her to smile cautiously. She was scared about the way things were going between them. She cared about him, probably too much for both of their good. He felt the same about her, he just had to. There had been too many long glances, and too many innuendos from both of them the past two weeks for it to be otherwise. Max didn't want to hurry it along though. She didn't want anything to ruin her relationship with him. She still had too many issues of her own to sort out and she was afraid to be hurt. Right now, Logan could hurt her much more than anyone else she had ever known. Still, that ride seemed to represent everything in their relationship. By letting him ride-no drive-her baby, she was letting him know that she trusted him totally. But in the same sense, it also seemed to say that now he was in the driver seat. Logan knew he could take this thing as fast or slow as he wanted. Girl, admit it, part of the reason you are so scared is you are afraid you can't deny him. She pushed that thought right out of her mind. She couldn't believe that, not just yet. Fortunately, he seemed to know that she still needed time to come to terms with having feelings, much less following them.   
  
She came up to Fogle Towers and entered the garage. After parking her baby, she walked up to the elevator and pressed P for penthouse. Logan is going to be thrilled! Everything he needs to put them away, all safely here in my backpack. She reveled in a job well done and looked forward to how excited he would be. The elevator opened and she quickly picked the lock on Logan's door.  
"Logan? Logan? Come congratulate me on doing yet another successful run for Eyes Only!" Max yelled and waited, but there was no reply. A little perplexed, she walked into his office, and still, no sign of him. "Logan? Hey, where are you?" She continued on through his dining room, but it was empty as well. Something's wrong, I can feel it. "Logan, come on" she said, her voice beginning to show a little panic. She went on to the kitchen, and was immediately stopped by the scene she encountered. On the floor, Logan was curled up in a ball, shaking and sweating violently. She quickly crouched down by his side. He looked up at her with glassy eyes.  
  
"Max," Logan said in a raspy voice. "Max, I'm not feeling so hot. Help me, please."  
  
"It's alright, Logan. I'm here. I'm here, and I'll help you." She started gently stroking his hair, the way he had so many times before for her. "You're having a seizure, but I can help you. Come with me," Max whispered softly and began to help him to his feet to lead him to his bedroom.   
  



	2. Bad Shape

Disclaimer: Me is poor, me make no money. Me wish I owned Logan though! ;)  
  
A/N: Thanks to Meka, for being a wonderful beta reader; BlackWolf, for his superlative knowledge of weapons; and Zig, for a wonderful plot twist idea in later chapters. :)  
  
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The Enemy Within   
Chapter2   
Bad Shape  
  
  
Max laid Logan gently in the bed. He was shaking, but not too violently. She caressed his forehead with the back of her hand. His eyes didn't seem focused and his skin was clammy. She straightened up to walk out the room.   
  
"I'll be right back, Logan, okay? I need to go to the kitchen to get some water. Two seconds, that's all, " Max softly explained.   
  
"Take as long as you need. I'm fine for now." Logan replied, but not very convincingly.   
  
Max went to the kitchen and hurriedly filled up a glass with water. Then, walking back to the bedroom, she took her supply of tryptophan out of her backpack.   
  
"Logan," Max said as she pushed the glass of water into his shaking hand, "I need you to take a couple of these for me, 'kay?"  
  
He looked at her, a little confused. "But, Max, this isn't going-"  
  
"Just try it, please?" She pleaded with him. "I just have to make sure."   
  
Logan nodded ever so slightly and sat partially up to take the medicine. When he was through, he lay back down and closed his eyes.   
  
"Stay with me." He asked hoarsely.  
  
Max grabbed his hand and offered what comfort she could. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered.   
  
________  
  
  
An hour later, Bling walked in. Max heard the door open and met him in the living room. She hated to leave Logan's side even for a minute, but she didn't want to disturb the fitful rest he was in.   
  
Bling immediately noted the apprehensive look on Max's face and felt a sting of fear in his stomach. "What's wrong? Has something happened to Logan?"  
  
"Yes. I need you to help me. We have to take Logan to Dr. Carr, right away. He's in the bedroom, and he's not in good shape." Max tried to keep the worry out of her voice, but was unsuccessful.   
  
Bling quickly strode over to the bedroom door. As he was reaching out for the knob, Max grabbed his arm. Bling turned toward her with a questioning look on his face.  
  
"Remember that transfusion I gave Logan a couple of months ago when he was in the hospital?" Max began. Bling nodded his head. "Well, that's what helped him start getting feeling back in his legs. About two weeks ago, I gave him another transfusion, thinking more of my supercharged blood would help him recover even quicker." Her face filled briefly with self-contempt, then she schooled it back into an almost unreadable expression.  
  
"Well that explains how he's up and walking around like Superboy all of a sudden," Bling said.   
  
"Yeah, but now there are complications. He's having seizures right now. Not bad, yet, but it's been getting worse." Max began to worry her lower lip.  
  
"Ah, like your seizures. Well, did you give him some tryptophan? He should be fine-".  
  
"Yeah, I tried that, but it didn't work," she interrupted. "And to be honest, I didn't really think it would. I have a neurological condition. My blood wouldn't cause him to have seizures like mine. But his body rejecting my blood would. That's why we need to get him to Dr. Carr soon." Max's voice cracked. "If something can't be done shortly, I think it's possible that he could go into a coma, and maybe die."   
  
  



	3. Betrayal

Disclaimer: You know I didn't create them. But thank God that James Cameron and Chic Eglee did, because I can watch Logan Cale on my TV. -Drools-  
  
A/N: Thanks to Meka, for being my beta reader, BlackWolf for his helping me with some of the weapons that will be used for this story, and Zig, for his wonderful plot twist idea coming up in later chapters! :)  
  
  
Side note: I am just updating these chapters with Text versions, because I believe they are easier to read.  
  
__________________  
  
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 3  
Betrayal  
  
  
Bling gathered Logan up in his arms. Logan stirred slightly, but remained asleep.  
  
This is all my fault. Max thought as she looked on. She had never felt so helpless in her life. Damn it! I should have thought ahead. I should have realized that he would have problems accepting my blood!   
  
Bling and her were silent as they put Logan's sleeping body in the car and headed over to Dr. Carr's. It was now early morning, around 8 am, and Seattle was gray with a rainy dawn. Bling had called Dr. Carr at home to let him know they were on their way, and to give him some information on Logan. Of course, they couldn't explain everything just yet without giving away Max's full involvement, and part of her identity. Max was silently thankful that Bling had come early that day, knowing that Logan liked to get a head start on the morning. She was having trouble keeping a cool, logical mind, but with Bling around, it somehow made it easier.   
  
Once inside Dr. Carr's office, Max felt the fear slam back into her full   
force. She was concerned about Logan, more bothered than she had led on to Bling. Her head was running with possibilities of things that could happen to Logan because of the transfusion, and none of her thoughts were positive.   
  
"Dr. Carr, can you help him?" Max asked anxiously.  
  
"I don't know," Dr. Carr said slowly. "We are going to have to run some tests on him. I can't really give out too much information, as you are not a relative. But I will do what I can. Now if you guys wouldn't mind sitting out in the waiting room, I would like to get started with him."  
  
Max and Bling walked out to the waiting room and sat down. Bling glanced over at Max and noticed her biting her lip again. The girl isn't nearly as tough as she would like people to believe. "Leaning on a friend in a tough situation isn't a sign of weakness, Max. It's a sign of humanity," he said to her. Max looked at Bling, surprised by his words. She studied his face for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she gave him a small crooked smile, the best she could manage at the moment.   
  
"Thanks," was all she said.  
  
  
_________  
  
  
An hour later, Dr. Sam Carr looked over at the report, unconsciously raising an interested eyebrow as he read through the lab results. He looked over at a sleeping Logan and shook his head with a mixture of disdain and pity. Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out a small card and picked up the phone. Dialing the numbers off the small paper, Sam waited for the person to pick up on the other end. After three rings, his contact answered.  
  
"Yes," the voice said.  
  
"You asked me to call if I had any unusual cases. Well, I've got a doozy here, and I think you would be interested. It's a male subject with abnormal blood. He's been my patient for a while, but in these past months, his blood makeup has changed massively. He was paraplegic up until two weeks ago, and now miraculously he is up and walking around again. He is currently suffering from seizures that I can't explain. I've also got a girl that matches one of your descriptions waiting out in the hallway for him." Dr. Carr said quietly into the phone.  
  
"Your hard work will be rewarded, Dr. Carr. We need more good men like you in this world. Keep them there for another fifteen minutes."  
  
Sam smiled at the phone, feeling good about doing the right thing. With another look at Logan, he said, "I'm just doing my civil duty, sir. They will be here." With that, he hung up.  
  
At the other end of the line, Donald Lydecker smiled at what was turning out to be a wonderful day.  
  



	4. Bad to Worse

  
Disclaimer: -Hobbes looks into her pockets and pulls out pocket lint-   
If I owned them, you think I would have empty pockets?  
  
A/N: Thanks to Meka, for being a wonderful beta reader; BlackWolf-for all his weapons knowledge; and Zig, for his wonderful plot twist idea in later chapters. :)  
  
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The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 4  
Bad to Worse  
  
  
Dr. Carr heard the door open behind him and turned around. Max stood in the doorway, nervously biting her lip.   
  
"So, what's the verdict, Doc? What's happening with him," she asked softly, her brown eyes wide with concern.  
  
"Well, right now, I still have to run some more tests. To be honest, I still don't know. It may take a while." Dr. Carr eyed her carefully. "You going to wait around?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be here for him," Max replied.  
  
Dr. Carr turned around and started walking toward Logan. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, blinding pain in the back of his skull, and bright white stars began dancing before his eyes. Then, blackness took over as his body crumpled to the floor.  
  
Behind him, Max snarled ferociously and looked down at the injured doctor before setting the vase aside that she had hit him with.   
  
"Enjoy your nap, Doc. Guess you didn't realize that you had a Supergirl with super hearing in the waiting room."  
  
"Max? Max?" Logan's raspy interrupted her reverie over the body on the floor. Logan was waking up groggily and sounded confused.   
  
"I'm right here, Logan." Max rushed to his side while he struggled to sit up. His body was still seizing, but it seemed a little less severe than when she had first brought him in. Max handed him his glasses from their place on the table beside him. "How you feeling?" she asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm alright." It was obvious he was anything but alright, but Max was going to leave that alone for now. They had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.   
  
"Logan, listen," Max began urgently. "We are at Dr. Carr's office right now. I think you're body is rejecting my blood, and that's why you are seizing. Carr has informed Lydecker that we are here, and Lydecker is on his way with his goons. We have to move fast. Bling is waiting outside with the car. We can't go back to your place, Logan - Carr has your address on file somewhere here, I'm sure. Can you get up and walk around with me?" She moved to put her arm around his waist. "We need to get outta here, and fast."  
  
"Yeah, I can." He slung his arm over her shoulders and managed to get on the floor. He was feeling weak, and he couldn't help hunching over. With her free hand, Max grabbed Logan's file from where the Sam had left it by the phone. A card with Lydecker's name on it sat by the folder and it grabbed her attention. As always with seeing Lydecker's name, Max felt a cold pit of fear settle in her stomach. Shaking it off, she grabbed the card and they walked out of the office, with Dr. Sam Carr still unconscious on the floor.  
  
_________  
  
  
Max sat in the passenger seat of Logan's Aztec staring out at the soggy day, the stormy weather outside reflecting the turmoil going on inside her head. Bling was driving and in the backseat, Logan was fading in and out. Right now, they had no clear destination of where they were headed. Max knew she would have to figure out something before long, because Logan couldn't stand much more of this. 'Please let me find a way to help him, please' she thought silently. She didn't know if it was a prayer or a wish or just hope-things she never allowed herself to believe in before-but she couldn't stand the thought of losing Logan. Not now. Maybe not ever.   
  
They sat in a dreary quiet for the next half hour, no one knowing what to say, all knowing the situation was grim. Max was deep in thought, unsuccessfully trying to come up with a solution that would help.   
  
"Max," Logan's gruff voice from the backseat disrupted her thoughts. "I think there's a problem."   
  
Max looked back at Logan and her face immediately paled. "Logan!" she exclaimed. Bling looked back at Logan and caused the car to swerve. "Oh my God", he said with wide eyes. He jerked the Aztec back onto the road, but kept glancing back towards his backseat passenger.   
  
Max jumped over into the backseat and pulled a half-sitting, half-laying Logan's head to her lap. She brushed Logan's hair off his forehead-a forehead along with a body that had aged ten years in a matter of an hour. She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she looked into his wary eyes.  
  
"Max, don't cry. I'll be alright. Just stay with me." Logan whispered.   
  
She said nothing in return, just stared at him for what seemed an eternity. Neither seemed able to break each other's gaze and words unspoken passed between them. They poured their heart and soul into that one eternal look. Finally, his eyes began to grow heavy and fluttered close.   
  
"I can help you," she spoke tenderly. "You just have to trust me. Do you trust me Logan?"  
  
"I do," he replied sincerely before succumbing completely to a restless slumber.   
  
With that, Max leaned down and kissed Logan almost imperceptibly on his lips. Then her face went cold, becoming the face of a soldier preparing for battle.   
  
"Bling, let me see Logan's cell."  
  
"You gotta plan, girl?" he inquired as he handed it to her over the seat.  
  
"Yeah, I do." Max pulled the card from her pocket that she had picked up at Dr. Carr's office and began dialing the numbers printed there. Then she held her breath and waited for her personal anti-Christ to answer on the other end.  
  



	5. No Other Way

Disclaimer: You know the routine...don't own...blah blah...not mine..blah blah..no money being made...blah blah. This is just a way for me to waste time at work. Plus, if I owned Logan/Michael Weatherly, he would be a too busy modeling nude for me and he wouldn't be have time to film Dark Angel.   
  
Spoilers: Post "Rising" but before "The Kidz Are Aiight" Will contain spoilers from Pollo Loco and Hit A Sista Back in upcoming chapters.  
  
A/N: I am sooo sorry I haven't updated this in like a month. I took over a new role at my job and I haven't been able to sit down and write without being interrupted or coming up with anything that wasn't pure crap. Oh, another thing, I am not a doctor/scientist or even anything remotely like that. In fact, I failed Biology in high school- so, if some of this doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. This is for pure entertainment purposes!  
  
By the way, this chapter might be total mule puke because I am sort of time crunched at work, but I desperately wanted to update my story!  
  
__________________________________________________________   
  
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 5  
No Other Way  
  
"Lydecker," the throaty voice on the other end answered. Max cringed at the sound and fought down the fear that was threatening to rise in her throat.   
  
"I want to make a deal with you." Max began without greeting, her voice flat and emotionless. She glanced down at Logan and clenched her teeth. She had to go through with this. She wasn't going to let him die. She couldn't live with it if the blood she had given him would ultimately lead to his death.   
  
"Max?" Lydecker questioned, sounding shocked to hear her.  
  
"Yes. Listen, I have the man from Dr. Carr's office. You would be interested in him. I gave him two transplants in the past couple of months. He was paraplegic at one point. My first transfusion helped him regain feeling and little movement. My second one helped him begin walking again."  
  
"This does interest me, Max." Lydecker said. "Why are you calling me about it? Ahh, he's having problems, isn't he?" His voice lowered, became almost soft and nurturing. "I can help him. You know that, don't you?"   
  
"Yes. I want you to look at him." Max looked up and realized that Bling had pulled off the road. He was staring back at her, a bleak expression on his face. They both knew what was coming. They both understood exactly what Max was going to have to give up in order to save Logan's life.   
  
"Well, Max. I think I can do that. Believe it or not, I am not the Devil's incarnate." Lydecker's voice was friendly, and she could even hear a smile in it over the phone. He knew he had the upper hand, and he was going to manipulate it. But even then, there was no hiding the cold steel underlying his mild manner.   
  
"I'll with hold judgment on that." Max replied sarcastically. She was growing impatient. "What do you say, Deck? You gonna help him, or not?"  
  
"Of course, Max. Of course. There is just one thing, though. If I'm gonna do   
you this little favor, I expect one in return."  
  
"I never assumed you wouldn't." she said, her voice flat. It was coming, and she was prepared.   
  
"Then you know what I'm going to say. I expect that you are willing to turn yourself in then?"  
  
"I am." She answered. "I will contact you in twenty minutes with the meeting location. You will be there an hour after I give you the information. Just you, a couple of guards, and some medics that can help Cale. I will be there with him, and no one else. I will come unarmed. Expect my call." With that, she hung up the phone, and her fate was sealed.   
  
"Max," Logan's gruff, shaky voice called. She looked down at him. Her best friend, her confidant, the only person she had ever truly allowed herself to get close to, lay so helpless and vulnerable in her lap. His usually bright cerulean eyes were now bleak and tired. He had already mentally given up, she could see it. But she, a superhuman, transgenic, hodgepodge of a girl could fight for the both of them; she would fight for the both of them.   
  
"You can't do this, you are not going back there." Logan attempted to sound strong and commanding, but his weakening body betrayed him, and he had started to shake even harder as he was speaking, his voice breaking up by the racking of his body.  
  
"Logan, there is no other alternative that I can think of right now. You need to see a doctor-a Manticore doctor-quickly. You are not going to change my mind."   
  
"Logan, she's right." Bling piped up from the front. "You need a doctor, and fast. I'll get you both back, don't you worry about it. I promise." Even Bling was starting to choke up. His eyes had become glassy from the tears that were forming, but the look on his face was one of sheer determination. Logan believed him. Bling would get them out somehow.   
  
He turned his attention back to Max, and framed her face with his hands. He locked his gaze with hers and looked at her intensely, as if he was memorizing every minute detail about her. "Max," he began brokenly "I would rather die than to see you go back to Manticore."   
  
"Logan" Max whispered, and briefly closed her eyes to stop the tears that were once again threatening to fall. She was trying so hard not to break, but couldn't help cracking a little. "I would rather go back to Manticore than to see you die. I can live in Manticore. I don't think I could live without you." She opened her eyes, and in them all of her emotions reflected there for him to see-confusion, pain, despair, worry, and something else, Logan couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that made him hope he made it through this alive, so he could find out what it was. Something that made him think there could be a future for Max and him after all. She had only been this open with him once before, and that was when Max thought she was leaving Seattle -and Logan- for good to hide from Lydecker. That look had followed with a fervent kiss driven by the fear that that would be the last time they would see each other, and the unspoken passion that had delicately built between them in the preceding months.   
  
"Max-" Logan began, but was cut off by the press of her fingers on his lips.   
  
"Not now, Logan. I have to call him back. But this will work out, I promise."  
  
She stayed focused on Logan while she dialed. They both seemed unable to break eye contact, as if they knew they would not see one another for a long, long time-if ever again. Even as Lydecker answered on the other end, and Max arranged for the meeting, they were trapped in there own thoughts-thoughts that were shared with the other by nothing less than a stare.  
____________________________________________________________   
  
  
Bling drove them toward their destination. He was to drop them off a half mile from the set meeting point, and Max would take Logan the rest of the way. After the drop off, Bling was to leave immediately, and follow the instructions Max had given him as soon as he returned.   
  
During the drive, no one uttered a word, but the tension in the car was thick. Logan's shakes were getting worse as time went on, and as they progressed, Max became even more assured she was doing the right thing. She held Logan's hand in hers, and they both clung tightly, afraid to let the other go. They gazed fixedly at one another, almost afraid to look away. They were willing each other on, giving each other comfort and strength. Strength they knew they would both desperately need in what was sure to be desolate and trying days ahead of them.   
  
Logan loved her. He was now sure he did. He wanted to tell her how he felt before they parted. She had saved him, in so many ways. It was almost ironic-now, when he was so weak physically-even weaker than he was in the wheelchair, he finally found the strength emotionally to tell her what he had been so damn scared of before.   
  
Finally, Logan broke the silence. "Max, I lo-" Once again, he was cut off by her; unable to finish something that had eluded him for months.   
  
"Not yet." Max interrupted. "Give me something to look forward to for the next time I see you again. And I will see you again. Don't doubt that. This isn't goodbye."   
  
"Okay," Logan said thickly. "Next time,"   
  
"Yeah, next time," she said, and squeezed his hand tighter.  
  
__________  
  
  
Lydecker was waiting for them in the deserted warehouse that had been agreed on. After this, they would all board a helicopter for the journey back to Wyoming. The medical personnel that Max had requested immediately began working on Logan, setting him on a stretcher and hooking an IV up to his arm. He looked so pale and so sick lying there. He had fallen back asleep as she had brought him here, wheeling him in the chair he dreaded so much. She watched as he was put into the one of two SUV's that had been waiting inside the building for them, careful to keep her face devoid of emotion.  
  
"You disappoint me, Max." Lydecker greeted her in a patronizing manner, not being fooled for a minute by her blank expression. Her actions alone proved just how much this Cale man meant to her.  
  
"How will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" She asked. "Oh, wait-you don't have a heart. I almost forgot." Lydecker's goons circled around her and quickly shackled her in foot and handcuffs. She gave them both a menacing stare, but made no attempt to escape.   
  
"Such a smart mouth you have, Max. We'll have to take care of that, and teach you respect. You will learn again."  
  
"Maybe I don't want to be an A+ student," she retorted.   
  
"You will be, once I'm done with you. If you give me any trouble, don't think I won't kill him. I will. I promise you that." With that remark, Lydecker began leading Max to the other black SUV, and the long return back to Manticore.  
  



	6. Erasing the Past

Disclaimer: You know the routine...don't own...blah blah...not mine..blah blah..no money being made...blah blah. This is just a way for me to waste time at work. Plus, if I owned Logan/Michael Weatherly, he would be a too busy modeling nude for me and he wouldn't be have time to film Dark Angel.  
  
Spoilers: Post "Rising" but before "The Kidz Are Aiight." Will have some spoilers from "Pollo Loco" and "Hit A Sista Back" in upcoming chapters.  
  
A/N: I had a real heck of a time writing this for some reason, and I in fact re-wrote this chapter because the first one blew chunks. If this one sucks, well, it was because I was too damn lazy to re-write it again.   
  
Thanks 'Meka for beta-ing this for me! As I said, I had a rough time writing this, and your input really made it flow so much better!!  
  
Special thanks to BlackWolf, whose has an extraordinary knowledge of weapons. He was kind enough to help me on a couple of points.  
Please R & R! Reviews really get me motivated to keep adding on to this story!! :)   
_______________   
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 6  
Erasing the Past  
  
Bling walked into Logan's apartment. He figured he had ten minutes to do what he needed to do and the get the hell out before the black helicopter guys showed up. Knowing that, he hurried into Logan's bedroom and headed straight for the closet. Pushing aside Logan's clothes, he found what he was looking for. Logan had informed him in the car that there was a rather large safe hiding there. He pulled a small piece of paper from his jeans pocket. Logan had weakly written the combination on it, and Bling read the numbers aloud as he turned the knob on the safe. He heard the clicking sound of the door releasing and he swung it open. Inside, he saw that it was crammed with numerous manilla folders, CD's and other important Eyes Only files, many of them filled with information that Logan had been able to gather about Manticore and the other X5's. There were also forged birth certificates, social security cards, passports, Sector passes, ID's and driver's licenses.   
  
Bling took a small black suitcase from the corner of the closet and threw it on the bed. He unzipped it quickly and filled it with the contents of the safe.  
  
"Damn, the man is prepared, if nothing else," Bling whispered under his breath while packing the assorted items. When he was finished with that task, Bling went back to the closet and took Logan's black leather jacket off its perch on a hanger and put it on. The fit was a little tight, but it would do.   
He glanced down at his watch and noticed that only about three minutes had passed since he had first entered the penthouse. He figured he was making good time.  
  
________   
  
  
Max sat in the seat across from Lydecker, gazing blankly out the helicopter's open door. She was aware that the man had not taken his eyes off of her since takeoff. He had this almost tender look on face, whether he knew it or not. It sickened her to think that he had some sort of father complex towards her. Good ole 'Deck probably thought that he was just doing what was best, getting her away from the messed up world outside of Manticore. She grimaced at the notion.   
  
Lydecker's loud voice broke into her thoughts. "Max, it's gonna be nice to have you back. You were always one of my best."  
  
"Am I supposed to be flattered?" she looked at him incredulously. "Cause I'm not. In fact, I'm nauseated."  
  
Lydecker's radio crackled, stopping his forthcoming response, but not before Max saw the flicker of impatience in his eyes. Good, she thought. Let him be angry with me. Let him feel just a smidgeon of what I've felt for him for the past ten years of my life.  
  
"Lydecker" he answered.  
  
"Sir," came the voice from the other end. "We're on the way to the Cale place. E.T.A in about ten minutes."  
  
"Very good soldier. I want to know as soon as you get there, and a full report immediately after your search of the premises is complete. I will expect to hear back from you shortly." With that, Lydecker disconnected and returned his attention back to Max. She thought he was going to say something to her, but he didn't.   
  
She directed her gaze back out toward the sky. She thought of Logan, of the fact she may never see him again, and an almost physical pain pulled at her heart. Outside, the rain wasn't falling anymore, but the sky was gray, reflecting her emotions.  
  
_________  
  
  
In Logan's office, Bling packed the laptop and camera paraphernalia into a large black leather bag that sat underneath the desk. It took him a couple of minutes to unplug all the equipment and then make it fit haphazardly into the bag, but he accomplished it without too much difficulty. When he was done, Bling opened the drawer and took Logan's Vector CP1 pistol and its ammunition out. He checked to see if the gun was loaded, and gave a nod of satisfaction when he found bullets in its chamber. He quickly tucked the gun into the waist of his pants and concealed it with the jacket. He turned back toward the drawer and fished around inside until he found the small, rectangular device with a single black button on it. Placing that in his coat pocket, he used his other hand to hook the shoulder strap of the laptop over his right shoulder   
  
Bling walked toward the huge windows overlooked downtown Seattle. He reflected on how Logan loved to contemplate life in this spot, usually whenever he had a problem he needed to solve, or whenever something was troubling him- that something usually being Max. He glanced down and noticed several black SUV's pulling up to the street below.   
  
"Right on schedule, boys," he said to no one, and gave a little smirk.   
Bling grabbed the suitcase on the way out, and at the door, he turned and gave the apartment one last scan. Almost imperceptibly, he shook his head before turning away.   
  
"What a shame," he whispered, and shut the door behind him.   
  
_________   
  
Logan groggily opened his eyes. It took a bit to focus in on where he was, not only because he was without his glasses, but because he was also drugged with something. He wasn't shaking as bad as he was before, so whatever they had given him must have helped. He still felt disoriented and heavy from the drug, as well as from his body's internal struggle with itself.  
  
When he was finally able to make some shapes out, he realized he was lying on a cot in what seemed to be a deserted warehouse that was acting as a makeshift doctor's office. At the door of his cramped room was a young soldier standing guard with his back to Logan. There was a large gun slung over the back of the soldier. Logan rolled his eyes. I'm not going anywhere pal, just in case you couldn't tell. Even if I wasn't drugged up and in this condition, I probably couldn't walk too far before falling flat on my face, he thought.  
Max.   
  
The name popped into his mind, as it did often- only every waking moment of the day, and every restless minute of sleep at night. Everything came rushing back to him, how she had given herself back to Lydecker and Manticore to help him, their too short car ride to the drop off point, the tears he had seen glistening in her eyes while she had so tenderly tried to care for him. How he wanted to hold her, touch her just one more time. He hadn't taken the chances he'd had to touch her very often in the months before; now he regretted that he hadn't tossed his damn pride aside and opened up to her. He wanted nothing more than just a chance to tell her what a fool he'd been.  
  
He turned toward the window that was on the left wall of the room. Outside, the sky was gray and ominous, though it wasn't raining anymore. Logan didn't know for sure how long he had been knocked out, but he was almost positive that it had only been a couple of hours. He remembered snippets of things that had happened after the drop off, including waking up briefly and seeing Max leaving bound and chained with Lydecker. A pang tore at his heart as he thought about it. He had fallen almost immediately back into a slumber after that, not having the physical energy to stay awake, no matter how much he had wanted to.  
"I'm gonna get you back, Max. I promise you. I just hope Bling can come through for me." He spoke the words softly, almost as if they were a prayer.   
  
Logan lay there in the bed and wondered just how Bling had fared with their plan, before falling fitfully back into a drug-induced sleep.  
  
________  
  
  
Bling was exiting the elevator just as several armed soldiers were filing in. He brushed nonchalantly past them, not one of them even looking his way. Once outside the main entrance doors for Fogle Towers, he strolled towards the Aztek, which he left parked on the opposite street curb. The building was surrounded by several military men who were no doubt headed up to Logan's apartment.   
  
"Go ahead, boys. You ain't gonna find much up there." He joked with himself.  
  
He unlocked the trunk and set the bag and suitcase carefully inside it   
before shutting the hatch. Walking around the driver's side, he reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out the remote device he had taken from Logan's desk. He looked down at it thoughtfully, and then turned his attention back up to the tall building until his gaze settled on Logan's window.   
  
"You owe me one Logan," he said and slowly pressed the button.  
  
With that, Logan's penthouse exploded into a fabulous inferno, bursting the glass out of the windows and crashing it down in what seemed to be slow motion to the soggy street below. Soldiers and several pedestrians' faces snapped toward the building that was now spewing flames. There were female screams of shock, and loud male voices that almost immediately started barking out commands. Bling watched in awe as the blaze licked the muggy Seattle sky, then he swung his eyes down to the chaos that was ensuing below. He half-smiled in satisfaction and unlocked the car door. Once inside the vehicle, he began whistling a nameless tune. For the first time that day he thought everything might turn out all right, after all.  
  
  



	7. Fear

Disclaimer: Me no own DA characters. Me is poor.  
  
Spoilers: All eppies up to "Rising", then spoilers from "Pollo Loco" and "Hit A Sista Back" as well.  
  
A/N: Special thanks to Blackwolf and Zig for helping me out on a couple of key points to the story and 'Meka for her wonderful beta-ing expertise!  
  
Please R&R and let me know if I should continue!!  
  
___________________  
  
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 7  
Fear  
  
"Sir" the deep voice came from over the radio, interrupting Lydeckers' thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Max's almost imperceptible tensing, the way her shoulders straightened and her ears perked up. No one else but Lydecker would have been able to notice the subtle changes she was going through as she was becoming acutely attuned to the voice from the walkie-talkie. Her eyes didn't move away from the helicopter's window and the outside sky, and her facial expressions certainly didn't change, but the girl was definitely listening intently. He smiled slightly, reveling in the fact that not only was he taking one of his best soldiers home, but he would undoubtedly get useful information on the other X-5's from the Cale place.   
  
He pressed the button on the radio and answered "Yes, Lieutenant Briggs. What have you found?"  
  
There was a pause before the young Lieutenant replied. "Well sir, there was a slight problem." Even though Lydecker couldn't see him, he knew from the tone of the man's voice that he was very uncomfortable. Something had gone wrong.   
  
"What is it, Briggs?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"Sir," the man began, "there was a slight hitch in the plans. It appears that the apartment was rigged-"  
  
"Rigged?" Lydecker interrupted, speaking very softly, but there was no mistaking the menacing tone his voice had taken. "What do you mean, rigged?"  
  
"Sir, as we were sending our men up, there was an rather large explosion at the Cale location. We estimate that he had around a quarter-pound of homemade plastique strategically positioned at various points in his penthouse. It looks as if a remote device of some sort set it off, probably on a short range because it was an amateur job. Either way, it was well planned and executed. The guy even had the place fireproofed so it was contained solely to his place. Sir, the apartment is a total loss."  
  
As Lydecker listened, the smile that he had been wearing slowly vanished. The corners of his mouth had turned down and his lips tightened; his eyes had become narrowed and hard, causing the smooth forehead to give way to several worry lines; and his nostrils flared as he tried to control his anger. By the time the Lieutenant was finished, Lydecker was barely holding his rage in.  
  
"Sonofabitch!" he swore loudly. " I wanted this! He had information about our kids in there, I know he did!"  
  
"Sir, I-"  
  
"Shut up!" Lydecker yelled. "I don't want any of your half assed excuses! Do you realize the things he probably had in there? Do you?" He warily rubbed a hand down his face, and continued on in a slightly calmer fashion. "You said that the explosion was probably tripped by some short range device. That means that Cale had someone helping him. He probably slipped right under your nose! Dammit! I want you to find this person, and bring them to me. They may even have some of the files we need. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I am sure they were probably able to salvage some. Do you understand this, soldier?"  
  
"Yes sir" came the meek answer from the radio. "I understand completely."  
  
"Good. Then I want you to find this person, soon. No excuses." Lydecker commanded, then ended the connection.   
  
He turned his focus back to the prisoner that sat across from him. Her attention was no longer outside the window, but solely on him. Her face was cold and impassive, showing no emotion, but when his gaze roamed up to her eyes, he saw that they were filled with pure loathing. Suddenly, a smug smile split her face, and it became contorted by the amount of pure hatred she held. In that one glance, she looked like she could murder him, tear him apart limb by limb and torture him in the most animalistic ways. And she would enjoy it. He rapidly turned his eyes away from her and pretended not to notice. For that split second, however, Donald Lydecker had felt a slice of fear- and that was something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.   
  
_________   
  
Max turned away from Lydecker, forcing her temper back down. She had to keep thinking coolly, logically. The man just seemed to bring out the most primal of hates from her.  
  
They were approaching an airfield of some sort. Max guessed that they would be getting on a plane and heading back to Gilette. Back to Manticore. Her hands were sweaty and her throat tight at the thought, but she quickly forced it away. It had to be done, otherwise Logan would dead.   
  
'Logan, I'm so sorry. It was the only way I could think of. I couldn't let you die. I'm gonna get you out somehow, Logan. I promise you.'   
  
They were going to question him, and they weren't going to be nice about it. Logan wouldn't break easily either, which meant that it would be worse for him. She was comforted by the knowledge that Bling had pulled off the first part off the explosion, and was safe now. He would start getting the ball rolling on the rest of their plan soon. The torturous wait until then was going to kill her. She probably wouldn't be lucky enough to know how things would go from this point out. She would just need to have unshakable faith in Bling, and something else she had never had much use for.  
  
Hope.  
  
__________  
  
  
Some time later, Logan opened his eyes slowly and looked around. His body felt weak and lethargic, and his throat was scratchy around the tube that was shoved down it. As his eyes focused, he noticed that he was in a different room now, one that was smaller and much more cramped room than before. There were no windows in this room, more medical equipment. He heard the beeping of the heart monitor that was hooked up to him, but nothing else. He was alone in the room, and entrance was shut. He was sure on the outside, however, was a guard that would be ready for anything just in case  
  
  
They were keeping him drugged, that's for sure. They wanted to keep him weak, however he had to admit that whatever drugs they were giving him was helping his condition. He was no longer shaking and to be honest, he even felt better, though he was still recovering. That meant they were probably going to start questioning him soon. Max had told him they would, but still, he couldn't help but be anxious about it. She had been honest in telling him that they had less than dubious methods of questioning. He remembered the look in her eyes while she was warning him about the interrogation process. A haunted look had come in her eyes at some terrible memory for her, and pain had followed it as she resigned herself to the fact that he was going to have to go through their torture. He had squeezed her hand, but said nothing. There was nothing either of them could have said to make any of this easier. Logan wondered how Max was doing. He doubted they were at the same facility together. He didn't feel her. That should seem crazy, but it didn't. He somehow just knew that he was far away from her.   
  
Thinking about her made his heart feel like it was slowly being ripped out of his chest. Now that she was back in Lydeckers' clutches and it was his fault was making him nauseous. He should have made her leave Seattle without looking back, made her forget about him. If he died, so be it. Nothing could be worse than the not knowing. Not knowing how she was, not knowing if she was still alive, not knowing when or if he would be out of here to get her out. The not knowing was going to slowly drive him insane.   
  
'Stop it! You can't help her if you think this way!' he mentally scolded himself. He had to remain level headed, had to keep hope that he was going to get her back. He couldn't let himself think otherwise. 'Bling will get you out of here; it's a foolproof plan. It just has to be.'   
  
But he was still scared for Max. Every time she had discussed Manticore with him¸ he could hear the fear that was underlying in her voice. The girl was terrified of the place, and now he was truly terrified for her.  
  
Just then, the door swung open and interrupted his thoughts. A guard was stepping aside and letting a man through. The man obviously wasn't a doctor. He was wearing a pressed black suit with a matching black tie. He was in his late thirties or early forties, not tall but not short either. He had dark black hair and was even smiling as he turned to Logan. The man almost looked personable, nice. Almost. The man's eyes were what made him short of being mistaken for a friend. They were cold, flat and undeniably held the knowledge of murder. This man was no one's friend, and anyone who thought so would be sorely-possibly even fatally- mistaken.  
  
"Hello Mr. Cale, very nice to meet you." The man shut the door behind him, and pulled up a stool next to the bed. He sat down on it leaned casually towards Logan. "I'm Major Andrews. How are you feeling? Are the medications helping?"  
  
"Considering I'm drugged and being cared for by Satan's advocates, I'm okay." Logan replied sarcastically.  
  
Anger flickered in Andrews' eyes, but then they softened again. "Well, the drugs are for your own help, Mr. Cale. Your body was rejecting the blood transfusion you were given, and we needed to stop that. You would have died if it weren't for our skilled doctors. Though you aren't out of harm's way yet, your prognosis is good. We aren't your enemy, though I can understand that certain personal acquaintances of yours may have cast a bad light on our institute. "  
  
"I'm very well aware of my condition, Major Andrews." Logan said. "And I am extremely happy to be alive right now, but if you expect me to jump and down and express my thanks to you people, think again. You can all go to hell."  
  
Again, fury shone in the other man's eyes. This time, it took a bit longer for him to tamper it down. He changed his line of questioning, doing away with niceties and cutting right to the chase. "Cale, we know that you have become acquainted with a young lady you know as Max. What can you tell me about her?"  
  
"Well, I don't know you are talking about, Major Andrews." Logan sneered the sentence out, rolling his eyes as he answered.   
  
The back of Andrews right fist struck him hard across the face. For a moment, his vision went even blurrier than it already was without his glasses. His jaw hurt, and he could feel a trickle of blood running from his nose down his lip. He wiped it gingerly with two fingers, but his eyes never left Andrews.  
  
"Don't mistake me, Mr. Cale. I'll make this as hard as you deem necessary. I can be nice, or I can make you wish you were dead."  
  
"I'm dead if I tell you anything, anyways." Logan said.   
  
"That's true, Mr. Cale. That's very true." Andrews said, and smiled viciously. Then he backhanded Logan again, this time catching him on his left eye. Blood started flowing freely from his eyelid and clouded his vision. Tears involuntarily came from the force of the blow, and he heard a loud, high pitched ringing in his left ear as well.  
  
Major Andrews looked down and snarled at him, baring his teeth in the process. Then, leaning in, he whispered in Logan's ringing ear: "Now, are you going to tell me what you know, Mr. Cale? Or am I going to have to continue?"   
  
_________   
  
  
Okay, I know I am a bad person for continuing to leave it off on cliffhangers, but it's so much more fun that way!!! :) I will try to have Chapter 8 out next week!!!!  
  



	8. Life and Death

Disclaimer: If I owned any characters from DA, Logan would be sitting next to me right now, probably in his boxers - or less!! ;). I do own Major Andrews, but I am willing to negotiate a trade for Logan.  
  
Spoilers: Post "Rising", but before "The Kidz Are Aiight". Will contain spoilers from "Pollo Loco" and "Hit a Sista Back" in upcoming chapters.  
  
A/N: Special thanks to Blackwolf and Zig for helping me out on a couple of key points to the story, and 'Meka for her wonderful beta-ing expertise!  
  
Reviews keep me going! And because of the wonderful reviews that I got last time, I am writing this part even quicker!!   
__________________________________________________________________  
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 8  
Life and Death  
  
The man sat in the musty room, thumbing through the newspaper. It was early yet, not even 6 am. Candles were the only radiance, and even then the room was barely aglow. He didn't need the light; his eyes were designed to excel in the dark. Scanning on the first page, he came across a title that immediately caught his interest. Instantly intrigued, he read through the article, his face becoming grimmer with each word. It was not good news. The article explained how a local journalist's apartment had exploded into flames the day before, and cause was now under heavy investigation. Although no one had been seriously harmed, the resident was now missing. The editorial went on to give some more information about the fire, but he had stopped reading. Looking up, he stared out the window of the unfinished building. He had to go check on her, even if it could put both of their lives in danger. He needed to make sure she was all right.  
  
Outside, the sun was just barely beginning to peek out at the city, and it looked like it was going to be a glorious morning in Seattle. Too bad his mood was now as dark and bleak as the pre-dawn had been just moments before.  
  
_______________________________________  
  
  
Around three am, Bling had finally succumbed to sleep. His mind tormented him as he dreamt, however. In his nightmares, there were faceless soldiers with eyes that were the color of the deepest pits in hell. These men were chasing Max, Logan and himself. Neither of them seemed to be able to outrun their attackers, and Bling felt himself growing more sluggish with every step. The soldiers caught up with Logan first, and sat him down on the cold hard ground. Logan pleaded for his life as the merciless soldiers shot Logan execution style from behind. Max gave out a feral cry, and jumped toward the man, but they were too quick for her. The drama was repeated in the same fashion with her, and soon Max was dead. Blood sprayed everywhere, onto Bling's shirt, face, hands and chest. Abruptly, Bling's own legs gave way from under him, and he could run no more. The assailants walked slowly up to him and forced him into a kneeling position on the cool, hard ground. This time, however, they didn't walk behind their victim as they did for Max and Logan. They stood directly in front of him, holding their deadly weapons tauntingly in his view. He shifted his gaze up to the grotesque form standing in front of him, and he saw no mercy there. He was going to die. The evil form gave him a wicked grin and pulled the trigger. Bling saw the gun buck wildly as the loud gunshot deafened his ears. He felt an intense and sharp pain, and everything became blindingly white. Then, there was nothing but black.  
  
Bling sprung up on the couch, trembling and slimy from sweat. He slowly forced the last dregs from his horrible dream out of his mind and sat unmoving for minutes. That allowed the previous day's events came rushing back to him - Logan being sick; Max turning herself and Logan into Manticore; the detonation of the bomb at the penthouse; the drive to Logan's cabin (which was untraceable back to Logan); spending the afternoon and much of the evening setting up the computer equipment and getting settled in. After he had finished getting the laptop and camera paraphernalia up and functioning, he'd fallen exhaustedly on the couch in the living room, expecting sleep to come immediately. Unfortunately, his mind just wouldn't shut down and his thoughts kept drifting back to Logan and Max. Then he had that horrible dream. He knew it was because he was worried about them, worried that he couldn't save them, and that something would go horribly wrong and one or both of them would end up dead. He tried not to dwell on it. He told himself over and over to focus on what needed to be done, and to quit playing the 'what if' game. Now the morning sun shone through the windows, and he was secretly grateful for the light. He couldn't quite shake the fear that had seeded itself in his stomach, the fear that this would become very bloody before it was all over, and the knowledge that his own life was now in grave danger for his part. He knew that this line of thinking wasn't helping anyone, least of all Max and Logan; unfortunately, no matter how much he berated himself to be positive, his mind just wasn't listening.   
  
_______________________________________  
  
  
Logan lay battered and barely conscious on the cot. Andrews had kept him up all night, throwing question after question at him. At first, Logan answered each one with a sarcastic blip, but after a while it became too painful to even talk. Andrews had backhanded him in the face with every mock. Then, the Major had moved down to torture his stomach, giving him a swift punch for every unanswered inquiry. The pain had become more intense and searing with every blow, but through it all, Logan refused to give any information about Max or the other X-5's. Finally, thankfully, Andrews had given up about ten minutes ago. As he walked out of recovery room, he sneered at Logan and told him that he would be back, and that the next session would be worse than this one. It hurt like hell and took all of his strength, but Logan mustered up an answering smirk and said that he was looking forward to seeing him soon. Of course, in reality, that was the furthest thing from the truth. He could barely see out of his now puffy eyes and his stomach was tender and undoubtedly black-and-blue in multiple places. It was difficult to breath through his nose because it was so swollen, and he briefly wondered if it was broken. Logan licked his dry lips and tasted the metallic taste of blood, and felt the indentions of several deep with his tongue. He was tired, hungry, sore, beaten and he knew this was just the beginning. He wouldn't let himself sink into pity though, he would just keep thinking of Max. Knowing that she was now living in her worst nightmare strengthened his resolve to get her out again. Andrews had wounded him severely physically, but that was nothing compared to the pain in his heart of knowing that Max was back at Manticore.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
  
The man walked with a purpose down the street, ignoring the pedestrians and bicyclists around him. He had no time for them. The sooner he got to her apartment, the better. It was necessary to talk to her, make sure she hadn't- and wouldn't- make any foolish mistakes and get herself into trouble. The voice inside his head told him it was too late, that trouble had found her this time and made her it's prisoner. He tried ignoring it, but he couldn't. He had an unshakable feeling that it was true.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
  
  
In a cold cell some hundreds of miles away, Max sat on the hard floor with her knees tucked under her chin. She was rocking back and forth almost hypnotically in the silent chamber, lost deeply in her own thoughts. She was heavily drugged, and it was causing her to fade in and out of reality. At times, she was acutely aware of her surroundings, taking everything in and committing it to memory. Other times, she was reliving key points in her past, every vivid detail playing like a movie in her mind. Now, her eyes were glazed and heavy, and she was once again gone from the present world...  
  
...She looks at Eva, dead on the floor, blood oozing from her chest. Her eyes swing to Lydecker, and in that moment, her hate for him almost consumes her...   
  
...Snow. Bright, white snow and several trees. It's cold, so cold. She doesn't have time to stop and think about it. Escape or die. She falls, and ice water surrounds her. At first her body is shocked, but she quickly gets over it. There are perks to being a super soldier, she thinks briefly. She opens her eyes and sees men running over her, then she quickly gets out of the water and runs. Runs for her life...   
  
...She's out! After all this time, all the fright, the hatred, the confusion, she is free! She feels something deep inside her, some emotion, but she doesn't know what it is. It's making her smile, and at the same time, there is another feeling there too. She doesn't know what to do, how to act from this point out. Now the only person that she has to take orders from is herself. But she can't help but wonder about the others...  
  
...Hiding underneath the stairs with Lucy, everything weird in the world. All the power is out and upstairs; she hears the yelling and screaming. She needs to get out of there, soon...  
  
...He's lying there, so still. She feels guilt, remorse. She could have saved him from this, from being shot out on the street like that. Now, he's barely hanging on. She goes to the window and sees a man up there, sees the weapon in his hand. She strolls over to his bed, and unhooks him from his monitors and IV. Rolling him calmly down the hall, the room behind her explodes into a spectacular light. She can feel the massive heat from it on her back, searing her skin...  
  
...Zack. Zack's alive and in front of her. He hasn't changed a bit and he is now telling her goodbye. She feels a deep pang in her heart knowing it may be a while before she sees him again, and she regrets the unemotional reunion they are having Deep down, she wanted to feel like family with him, and it was anything but that. He's still a soldier...  
  
...Lydecker. Face to face after all these years. He doesn't even realize who she is. Now, she sitting right next to him, feeling like a helpless little girl all over again...  
  
...She watches as Logan's useless legs sag from under him and they toss him off the building. Running as fast as she possibly can, she hurls herself off after him. He's got her hand!! She grabs on tightly, his thread to life as they come crashing through the window...  
  
..Brin, so sick and helpless. Is that what's going to happen to her too? They must give Brin back to Manticore, though that's the last thing Max wants to do. She hopes that Brin can forgive her. She promises that they get her out of there. They will...  
  
...She has to leave him. She doesn't want to, and she doesn't know exactly why. She just knows that something wants her to stay with him so badly. He can't go with her. She rushes back to the car, and kisses him hard. He kisses her back. She looks into his eyes, and regrets what might have been...  
  
...Logan's on a hospital bed once again so motionless. She gives him her blood, gives him life. She dreams with him. Don't let go, she whispers...  
  
...Zack gave himself up for her. She still can't believe it. He just can't be dead, just can't be...  
  
...She looks at her best friend, afraid of what she will think now that she has told her about her past. When she hugs her, Max cries in relief, and hugs her back tightly...  
  
...Logan stands in front of her. Stands! She feels so much for him, but she is so scared. They're just gonna have to go slow...  
  
  
Max snapped back to reality, focusing back on the bars in front of her. Abruptly, she stood up to begin pacing in the cell, mumbling to herself. "Have to stay focused. Have to stay alert. Have to," she repeated over and again. The sound of her own voice was little comfort, but the quiet around her was driving her slowly mad. She felt disoriented and out of sync; her body's movements seeming awkward and uncoordinated. If she kept sitting on the floor, she would just sink further into her own private delusions. She couldn't afford that. In the distance, she heard a door open and footsteps began thumping. There was more than one person coming. As the sounds grew nearer, she stopped pacing and stood at the front of the cell, trying stoically to act as if she was feeling fine. Lydecker and three of his goons came to stand opposite her on the other side of the bars. He gave her an endearing smile and she nearly puked.  
  
"What can I do for you," she asked innocently, her voice sounding thick and slurred even to her own ears.  
  
One of the guards stuck his hand through the small space between the bars and plunged a needle into her forearm in one swift motion. Almost immediately her legs gave out from under her, and she sank to the ground. Lydecker opened the cell door, and gingerly picked her up off the floor.  
  
"Max, it's time to answer a few questions," he said gently. "Come with me."  
  
  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Original Cindy was worried. It was bad enough that Max hadn't come home the past two nights, but when she heard on the news this morning that Logan's apartment had been destroyed in a fire, Original Cindy almost went out of her mind. Max had not answered any of her pages, and Logan wasn't picking up on his cell. Gut instinct told her that her best friend was in a heap of trouble, but she didn't know what to do, or even who to go to. A knock on the apartment door interrupted her thoughts, and she jerked her head up.  
  
"Who the hell? It's barely eight on a Saturday morning." She mumbled as she crossed the room. She cracked the door open and sucked a shocked breath.   
  
"Is Max here?" the man demanded, making no time for pleasantries.  
  
"She told me you were dead," she said.   
  
He said nothing. After a moment, Original Cindy opened the door further, signaling that he could come in.  
  
"Well, Sam...actually, it's Zack, isn't it? What can I do for you?" she asked, and waited for him to answer.  
  
  
__________________________________  
  
  
A/N: Okay, since this is pre "The Kidz Are Aiight", we didn't know what happened to Zack at this point. Well, in my little world, he was never captured by Manticore after the helicopter crash.  
  
Also, I had a bit of a time writing this, so if it sucks, I'm sorry!  
  
  



	9. Common Interests

  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Dark Angel. Some dudes named James Cameron and Chic Eglee created them. I have to give them props though, because Logan is a hottie.   
  
Author's note: Okay, this is the deal. I get bored at work, so I write fanfic. This is my first one EVER, so if it sucks, you know why! :) Also, I write short chapters, but I try to update at least once a week. I hope that helps.   
  
Special thanks to: 'Meka, for her wonderful beta-ing talent, BlackWolf, because his knowledge of weapons helped me with details of this story, and Zig for giving me a really neato idea for this chapter!  
  
Now, without any further ado, Chapter 9!  
  
___  
  
Chapter 9  
Common Interests  
  
  
Zack walked inside the apartment and took his surroundings in. It was a mix of Max's no frill taste and Original Cindy's slightly eccentric touches. It was easy to see Max living comfortably in here, being as close to a regular girl as she can be. He turned his attention back to Cindy.  
  
"When was the last time you spoke with her," he said, making the sentence a demand, not a question.  
  
She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, not appreciating his rather short manner. But she wanted to find her friend, and she knew that he was probably her best bet right now.  
"Well, since you asked so nicely, it was two nights ago. She went over to rich boy's and I haven't heard from her since."  
  
Zack's eyebrows drew together in anxiety. Two nights ago was too long.   
  
"Does she do that often?" he asked.  
  
"No, never. She'll call me if something comes up 'cause she knows I'll worry. You heard about the fire."  
  
"Alright, that's all I wanted to know." Zack turned as if to leave, and Original Cindy reached out and grabbed his arm.   
  
"Look, you may be a genetically enhance whatever, but don't think you can come in here and ask Original Cindy questions, but not help out with the answers. I know you have an idea of where she could be. You think this is about your black helicopter guys, don't you?"  
  
Zack looked down, clearly shocked that she knew about Manticore. 'What the hell has Max done now?' he wondered. Inside, fury briefly battled with worry. Not only did wheelchair boy know about Manticore, but now Original Cindy did as well.  
  
"Yeah, that's right. Original Cindy knows about yours and Max's sordid past, but that's beside the point right now. The point is that you can't just come in here and not let me know anything. I want to find Max just as much as you do, cause I know something's horribly wrong. So don't think you can just come up in here and ask questions then leave Original Cindy out in the dark like that. You better think again. Wherever you are going, I'm going with you."  
  
Zack looked down at her, speechless for a moment. The girl had some brass, and she was obviously a very dedicated friend to Max. That didn't mean that she could tag along and slow him down while putting her own life in danger as well. "Look, I don't know what Max told you about us, but that doesn't entitle you to come along. This isn't a game of cops and robbers, and the good guy doesn't always win. Plus you wouldn't want to break a nail having to shoot someone, would you? So, you can just stay right here." Seeing the worry on her face, he added "Look, I'll get in touch with you as soon as I find out something, okay?"  
  
Original Cindy just stared at him, an incredulous look on her face. How dare he patronize her!   
  
"Listen up here, Cap'n." she started in a low and even tone, trying really hard not to lose her temper. The guy must be okay if Max trusted him unconditionally. The guy was practically her brother. She just had to keep herself reminded of that. Right at this moment, though, it wasn't helping much. "Original Cindy knows this ain't child's play, but if you don't take me along, I'm going to follow you. And you wouldn't want to worry about looking over your shoulder for me? That would slow you down even more. Plus, I'm a weapons expert. I know a thing or two about shooting guns without breaking a nail. If Max is really being held by the Gestapo, then you are going to need more than just one person going after her, right?"  
  
Zack exhaled a slightly frustrated breath and rolled his eyes. He knew that if Lydecker had Max-and he believed that's exactly where Max probably was- then Original Cindy was in danger if she stayed here. Lydecker would more than likely find out all about Max's daily life- including the people she associated with and what those people knew. It was obvious that Cindy knew too much. Zack may be trained to be a soldier, but he couldn't live with it if something happened to Original Cindy and he did nothing to prevent. Another thing was she may get a hair up her ass to start doing some investigating on her own, and who knows what that would turn up. If he could keep her in his sight, then he could monitor what she did. Plus, she was right- if they needed to go after Max, the more people on their side, the better.   
  
"Alright," he said finally. "You can come. But I swear, the first time you screw up anything, anything, you're coming right back here. You could end up dead."  
  
"Don't worry about me, Original Cindy can take care of herself. Where we going first?" she asked.  
  
"Well, Logan has this cabin that's not far from here, and I want to check it out. It's possible they could be laying low there." Although neither of them really believed it could be that simple, they were going to exhaust every possibility before deciding to take Manticore head on.   
  
"Aiight" she said. "Let me grab some stuff real quick and then we can leave."  
  
"Do you have a car?" he questioned. When she shook her head no, he continued. "Well, I hope you have nothing against borrowing someone else's without their knowledge."  
  
She scoffed and gave him a wicked smile. "Hell, I could teach you a thing or two about taking a car without the owner's permission."  
  
  
  
___  
  
Max lay on a cold slab of unrelenting steel, completely unclothed and held down with leather straps that bind her wrist and ankles. She was having even more trouble focusing on reality. Everything was foggy, almost as if there was some sort of barrier between her eyes and the rest of the world. She could make shapes out in front of her. There was a doctor, two - or was it three? - guards that had large tazers in their hands. Then there was Lydecker, who paced slowly back and forth in the small, barren room, continuing to throw questions at her.  
  
"What does Logan Cale know about you? About the others?" He asked for what had to be the fifth or sixth time.  
  
"The sun is probably shining real bright outside." She answered with a thick voice, completely ignoring the question as she had throughout the whole interrogation. She loved answering him with pointless and completely asinine responses, loved seeing the way his chin would clench, as he grew more and more frustrated with every ignored question. She could play this game and win. In fact, Lydecker was the one who made sure all of his precious X-5's could take a session such as this-and worse- without giving away anything they didn't want to. Max concentrated on nothing and started slipping into the place where she wouldn't remember anything that could give away something to him.  
  
Lydecker didn't fail to notice that Max was using his own techniques against him. He had trained her well in some aspects. She was blocking everything out. Soon, she wouldn't even remember the answers to his questions. He wanted to get as much helpful knowledge out of her as he could.   
  
"Where is Jondy? Tinga? Krit?" he asked, calling each of them by the names they had given themselves.  
  
"I never did care much for Wyoming," she stated in an almost childlike voice. This time, however, it took a bit longer for her to reply.  
  
He leaned over her and snarled. "I will get information about the others from you dammit!" He looked over at one of the guards and jerked his head toward the television monitor that was set in the corner of the room. Max briefly wondered why she hadn't seen it before.  
  
"Turn it on!" Lydecker barked, his irritation very obvious in both his manner and his voice.  
  
The guard did as he commanded, and the set was on. Max stared in shock at the screen, and Lydecker gave a small, somewhat sad, smile.  
  
  
***  
  
Zack and Original Cindy had luck with an older truck that had been parked about three blocks down from the apartment. Zack drove them up to Logan's cabin, his memory giving him no trouble with recalling the way. They both kept to themselves on the journey there, not having much to say to each other and lost in their own thoughts. As they pulled closer to the cabin, they both noticed the Aztek parked in front of it, and they each felt a little spark of hope.  
  
"Maybe my girl just needed a weekend getaway with her man," Original Cindy mused softly as she looked Logan's car.  
  
"Well, we'll see." Zack responded tightly. Original Cindy raised an eyebrow smirked at the obvious jealously that tinted his answer.  
  
They got out of the car and headed onto the front porch. Zack went to knock on the door, but before he could, it swung open. There stood a large, muscular black man holding a double-barreled shotgun right at Zack's face. On instinct, Zack kicked the gun out the man's hands, then punched the man in the stomach. The man doubled over and Zack took the opportunity to twist the man's arms around behind him, taking the man's neck in a chokehold. Original Cindy picked up the gun and swung it toward the man's face.   
  
"Who the hell are you, and where is Logan and Max?" Zack spat out as he tightened his grip around the man's throat.  
  
***  
  
Max's heart twisted in her chest at the sight of a battered and bloody Logan on the monitor. In that one instant she hated herself for having turned him in, even knowing that if she hadn't, he might be dead by now. He lay in a hospital room with eyes bruised, nose swollen and lips bloody and cut. It was obvious that he had been battered very recently. His head was lolling to the right side, as if he could didn't have enough energy to keep it straight. However, he was awake-even if just barely. A man stood beside Logan with a gun in his hand. She guessed that the beatings had been this man's dirty work. His clothes and hairstyle should have made him look civilized, but his eyes showed the truth. This was a cold, heartless man, and he not one to be messed with. She quickly blinked back tears, but her eyes were even blurrier now than they had been.  
  
"Max, say hello to Major Andrews. He's a good friend of mine, and has recently become acquainted with your Mr. Cale." Lydecker told her. "Now, seeing as you are having a problem answering my questions, I have decided to guarantee that you will cooperate. For every unanswered question, one of our dear fellows fingers will be broken. Then his hands, then his arms, until you decide to come to your senses. Do you understand, Max?"  
  
Max said nothing, not being able to get anything past the lump in her throat.   
  
"Now, once again. Where are the other X-5's?" he questioned. Max didn't know what to do. On screen, Major Andrews took one of Logan's hands, and gripped his pinky finger.  
  
"I don't know," she said. Immediately, Andrews smiled nastily and bent Logan's finger at an odd and excruciating angle. Logan tried to suppress a cry of pain, but was unsuccessful.   
  
"Noo!" she tried to shout, but it came out as a raspy whisper. "It's true, I don't know! Zack never told me! He wouldn't tell me, no matter how much I begged him." Max began openly crying now. She felt so helpless. On screen, Logan was writhing, trying to reach for his injured finger with his other hand, but Andrews kept him down.   
  
Lydecker studied Max and knew immediately that she was telling the truth. He was sickened by how much she had let herself come to care about this Logan Cale. He was her weakness, and he despised any weakness-especially in one of his kids. But, at the moment, he was just going to focus on using Cale against Max.  
  
"What about him?" he said, getting down in Max's face and pointing at the television. "What does he know?"   
  
Max couldn't answer, afraid to give too much away. She didn't know what they would do if they found out he was Eyes Only, and he had successfully gotten information about the X-5's.  
  
"Max" Logan begged. "Please..." Max wasn't sure what exactly he was pleading with her for. After ten seconds of silence from Max, Andrews took Logan's ring finger and cracked that too. The sound was sickening in her ears and it seemed to echo there for a long while. Logan gave another loud groan of complete pain, and she broke down when she saw the tears flowing down his cheek.  
  
"Okay, okay," she wept. "I will tell you. Logan is Eyes Only. I'm sure you've heard of him. He's done some research, but the only info he was able to find was of Zack and a little bit about the other X-5's. I don't know what else he knows. I don't think he knows much more. Please...let him go!"   
  
Lydecker nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. With that, he turned to the monitor and spoke to Andrews.  
  
"Kill him," he said, and then turned to leave.  
  
___  
  
A/N: Okay, I hope to have the Chapter 10 by the end of this week. Please R & R!!! Reviews mean the world to me!!  



	10. Unreal

Disclaimer: Don't own, blah blah, not mine, blah blah, if I did own, Logan would be my personal slave! ;)  
  
  
Special Thanks to: Meka, for beta-ing this for me; BlackWolf, for helping me out with weapons info; Zig, for giving me a really cool idea for Chapter 9 and 10. And to all the wonderful people who have reviewed this! Reviews keep me going, and I have to say that I've gotten more than I ever thought I would have. :)  
  
  
Spoilers: Up to and including Rising, then the story veers off on it's own little timeline (but it does have one spoiler from an upcoming episode involving one of the X-5's).  
  
A/N: This is a slow developing story, so I appreciate your patience! :)  
  
_______________  
  
Chapter 10  
Unreal  
  
... "Kill him," Lydecker said, and then turned to leave.   
  
For Max, everything happened in slow motion after that order. She watched in horror as Andrews raised the gun to Logan's chest and fired. Logan's body jerked once, twice, three times as the bullets pelted him from point blank range. Then Logan's eyes closed and he was gone.  
  
Max gave a primal cry of fury and pure adrenaline made her snap free from the shackles that were holding her down.   
  
"NOOOOO," she shouted as tears streamed down her face and she jumped on Lydecker, kicking and punching him blindingly as hard as she could before the guards aimed their tasers at her. They both fell to the ground, but the tasers combined with the drugs that were already in her system slowed her down enough for them to hand and ankle cuff her.  
  
She looked at Lydecker who was still on his hands and knees on the floor. The guards had her by the arms and legs, and her limbs were twisted in an awkward and seemingly painful position. However, none of this seemed to faze her. The look Max gave him was one of pure revulsion, and when she spoke, her voice was low and filled with loathing.  
  
"I am going to kill you. You won't know when, or where, but I promise you-you will die by my hands. Remember this day, because it's the day you signed your death certificate, you bastard!" Each word was spoken slowly and carefully enunciated, with Max snarling each syllable. In the background, one of the guards turned the monitor off. She barely noticed, not being able to look at the horrid image on it. She didn't want to see that scene again. Those few minutes she had witnessed on the TV would no doubt be burned in her memory for the rest of her life.   
  
Lydecker answered her sneer with one of his own. A bruise was already forming on the side of his face from where her fist had connected with it, and Lord knows what kind of contusions he would have on his back from her kicks. It angered him to even think about it.  
  
"Listen, here, Maxie," he spat as he stood and began brushing himself off. "You are weak. You let yourself get emotionally involved and a good soldier never allows that to happen. Let this be a lesson to you. Emotions are good for nothing-nothing at all. When you let feelings cloud your judgment, you allow yourself to be vulnerable, and you give your enemy the upper hand. The enemy will triumph using it against you. I did, didn't I? You are your own worst enemy, Max."  
  
With that, he reached his hand back and slapped her hard across the face, busting her lip and causing blood to start trickling down her chin. Then, turning on his heel, he walked out the door. Almost immediately, Max felt a small pinch in her arm and the room began to swim. Her last thought was of Logan, and then there was nothing but black.  
  
___________  
  
  
Lydecker let the door close behind him and subconsciously rubbed the his hand across the swollen area on his cheek. That little bitch! How dare she lift a hand to him-he, the one who had created her, given her life, made her so different and special! He was so disgusted with her at this moment, he could barely see straight. When he had seen the tears- tears! - rolling down her face, he had felt so repulsed. Sure, her complete emotional breakdown would make his entire conversion process much more simple, but he still couldn't believe that she would allow herself to become as involved with someone as she had. She had left her self completely controlled by her emotions. It was bad enough that she had turned herself in for the Cale man, but a display such as tears just made Lydecker completely disappointed. He had thought he had taught her better.  
  
His cell phone rang, disrupting his thoughts.   
  
"Lydecker," he answered shortly.  
  
"Hello, sir." It was Andrews.  
  
"Andrews. Nice to hear from you. That was a good performance you gave in there today. I have to say that it was all very convincing. While I am immensely saddened by our little soldier's weakness, I am pleased with the end result. It will be much easier to train her now. When one is so emotionally vulnerable, they are more pliable. Remember how well Brin turned out after we got her back?"  
  
"Of course I do. If you could make Brin the model soldier she is today, then you can do it with Max as well."  
  
"Well, how is Cale really doing? I must say that the soldier you got to impersonate him was quite a look alike - especially with the short notice I gave you. Excellent job."  
  
"Cale is fine, although I have to say probably a little sore. He is quite the stubborn one." Andrews paused for a moment to puff on a cigarette, then continued on. "Yes, my young impersonator was quite the actor, wasn't he? Hell, for a minute, I almost believed that he was Cale and that I had killed him. And Max-well, with the amount of medication in her, she has no idea that it wasn't the real Logan she was seeing."  
  
"Yes, it was a mighty good job, Andrews. On another note, I want you to dig up more info on this alter ego Cale has. This 'Eyes Only' that Max spoke of. Interrogate him more... I would bet money that he knows more about my kids than either of them let on. God only knows what he has on us. Cale will be of some use before this is all over with, damn it."  
  
"Yes, sir. Consider it done."  
  
"Thanks Andrews. Contact me in a couple of days when you have more info. I will be quite busy with Max over the next week. The conversion process is long and involved, so make sure any interruptions you have are important."  
  
"Yes sir." Lydecker disconnected the phone and allowed himself a small smile of victory. It was going to be quite interesting to see how Max would break now that she thought that Logan Cale was dead. It would no doubt be an easier task as she was vulnerable, but still-she was one of his, and therefore it would no doubt take a considerable amount of time. In the end, it would be well worth the effort.  
  
_________  
  
  
Bling was gasping for air. The big, blond man in front of him had an inhuman strength and obviously wasn't even exerting all of it. This must be Zack, Max's sibling that Bling had heard Logan mention-though none too fondly.  
  
"I am a friend of Logan's. My name is Bling. Let me go." He managed to get around the burning in his throat.  
  
"Where are Max and Logan?" Zack asked, pressing even harder with his hands into Bling's esophagus.  
  
"They are at Manticore." Bling said. Zack was momentarily shocked at this other man's knowledge of Manticore.   
  
'Is there anyone you haven't told, Maxie?' Zack wondered.  
  
"You're Logan's physical therapist, huh?" Original Cindy asked, lowering the shotgun from him only slightly.  
  
"Yes. You must be Original Cindy. I was going to get in touch with you today about Max. She told me you would be worried about her."  
  
Zack eased off of Bling's neck, but did not release him totally. Bling began gasping for air and clawing at his throat with his hands, as if he could assuage the pain there by massaging it away. The two people in front of him watched, both prepared to pounce if he made any wrong moves.   
  
"Look, can you take your hands off me? And can we go inside and talk about this? I don't necessarily feel safe out here." Bling said when he finally could speak without it hurting too badly.  
  
Zack stared at him thoughtfully; obviously trying to weigh whether he could trust this man or not. His gut instinct told him that he could, but he was still a soldier through and through, and logic always prevailed.  
  
Original Cindy made the first move and began walking toward the cabin door, the shotgun now lowered completely by her side and at a non-threatening angle. When she had reached the door and looked back at the men, she cocked her head and pursed her lips.  
  
"Well, are you fools coming or not? Original Cindy is cold, and I'm sure that wheel-boy has got some pretty damn good tea in here. Plus, I want to hear about my boo and the soldier boys. We can't help her out here."  
  
Zack imperceptibly shrugged and followed her inside, careful to keep a close watch on the man beside him. If what Bling had said was true, then he was going to need to get as much information as possible about what happened. Max was going to desperately need his help before it was too late. Lydecker would take no time in trying to convert her.   
  
Once all of them were inside, Bling closed the door and they moved to the center of the room, but none sat. Original Cindy looked at both Zack and Bling for a moment, then asked, "Well, what's the plan?"  
  
Zack glanced at Bling, still unsure if he was friend or foe, however he realized that he didn't have too much time to debate that now.   
  
"The plan is we go get Max and wheelboy back. That's the plan." Zack said.   
  
_______  
  
  
Andrews strode into the room where Logan was being kept. Upon entering, he saw that his prisoner was sleeping restlessly. Andrews smirked, knowing he wouldn't allow Cale that bliss too much longer.   
  
He nodded to the guard that was standing in the open doorway, motioning for him to leave. The guard abided and the door shut behind him as he walked out. Andrews stood over Logan and slapped him hard across the face, instantly reopening a wound above Cale's right eye. Logan awoke and became alert immediately.   
  
Logan looked up at his captor through blurry, swollen eyes. He wanted to rub the blood away that was causing his vision to be out of focus, but he denied himself that action. He didn't want to show any weakness in front of this man. Andrews sat down nonchalantly in a chair beside his cot, as if he was a friend stopping by for an amiable chat.   
  
"Nice to see you again. I was afraid you wouldn't come around. I missed you." Logan chuckled at his own sarcastic humor, though it hurt him terribly in the stomach as he did.  
  
"No time for chit chat, Cale. Why don't you tell me about yourself, Mr. Eyes Only?" the Major asked, sneering the alter ego's name.  
  
Logan blanched. Max wouldn't give away that information easily. They got it out of her somehow, though. He just didn't want to think of the means that Lydecker used to get it.   
  
______  
  
  
'He's dead.'   
  
Max couldn't think past that thought.   
  
'He's dead. Because of me. I killed him. I may not have pulled the trigger, but he's dead all the same.'   
  
She lay on another bed of some sort-again without clothing. She didn't know how long she had been in this room, and she no longer cared. She didn't care about anything anymore. She couldn't, because she killed Logan. Because of her, he was murdered in cold blood this afternoon. In some sort of tactical mind game between her and Lydecker, Logan had been used as a pawn. Because he was Max's weakness, he was dead. She didn't feel the tears that were drying slowly on her face, because she couldn't feel anything at all. She was numb, distant and removed from reality. If she came back to the real world right now, she would lose her mind. Everything was like it was being viewed from a camera, like she was watching somebody else's life. This horror story couldn't be her own, could it? This couldn't be real.   
  
A door slid open to her right, and Lydecker came in with two doctors, but Max didn't notice. Gone was the fury that had consumed her immediately after Logan was shot. All that was left of her was a shell. They had raped her soul and stolen her heart. Now, she was lost inside - deep inside in a place where they couldn't hurt her anymore and the only thing that had mattered was Logan. A childlike chant began in her head. 'No one will ever hurt me again... never...never...'   
  
"Dr. Johns, hook her up immediately. I want to start this process right away." Lydecker commanded. The young female doctor complied and hooked two pads up to Max's forehead. Max made no sign of acknowledgement. The doctor looked at Lydecker, but he said nothing. On his face was an intense thoughtful look as he contemplated the task at hand, but he couldn't hide the satisfied light in eyes. Just as he had hoped, Max was emotionally weak and tortured. She was hiding like a child deep in herself. She would be more receptive to the treatment right now. He wanted her disoriented and confused, so he could set her mind back on the track he had originally destined for her.   
  
"Dr. Stevenson, I want you to start the machine right away. There is no time to lose." Lydecker barked.  
  
"But sir, we haven't stabilized her yet-," Dr. Stevenson began to protest.  
  
"She'll be fine, just start it now." The tone of Lydecker's voice left absolutely no room for argument. Dr. Stevenson gave a slight shake of his head and sighed, then proceeded to turn the mechanism on to it's lowest power. Immediately, an electric shock was pumped through and Max twitched in pain. She said nothing, still deep inside her secret place.   
  
"Again," Lydecker requested.  
  
Once again, the doctor followed the order, and another jolt was given to Max. This triggered an image in her mind. Something-someone- was coming after her, chasing her, and wanting to kill her. It was pure evil, and she was inexplicably scared. She needed to run! Run quickly and-  
  
'NOOO!' her mind screamed. 'It's a lie! It's not real! There is NOTHING there!' She struggled briefly, then pushed the image out and sank lower into her private abyss.  
  
Lydecker had noted the flicker of fear and life in Max's eyes, and then saw how she closed herself off. For a moment, she had felt scared. Good.  
  
"Push it up to the next level," he said. Stevenson nodded and turned the notch up to 'B' and Max shuddered more noticeably at the jolt that was sent.   
  
"It's not going to be that easy, Max. Not that easy at all." Lydecker murmured.   
________  
  
  
A/N: Okay, had wanted to get more of this story out today, but Dark Angel is coming on soon. So I am going to post this now and try to get the next chapter out by Wednesday or Thursday. There is going to be some action in the next couple of chapters as Zack, Bling and OC plan and start to rescue Logan and Max!! :)  



	11. Dreamscape

Disclaimer: You know I didn't create it. If I did, you wouldn't be reading it here, you would be watching my stuff on the FOX every Tuesday night at 9. Oh, and Logan would be in my bedroom, waving fans on me and feeding me chocolate. In his boxers. And nothing else.  
  
A/N: Thanks to all the wonderful reviews I have gotten for this story. I NEVER expected this kind of wonderful response. You guys keep me going! Please, no silent readers! Oh, yeah, I know I said this chapter would be up Wednesday or Thursday, but work sucks, and it kept me busy all last week! :)  
  
And another thing, this will also contain spoilers from Pollo Loco. This past week's episode was just too powerful not to use the flashbacks of when they were kids. Since that added greatly to the detail of Max's past, I am going to use that.  
  
Special Thanks to: Meka, for being a wonderful beta reviewer, and a great author herself; BlackWolf for his helping me weapons and explosives; Zig for a wonderful plot twist idea; and once again, thanks to my readers, who are wonderful! :)  
  
Special Thanks also to Starbucks, whose grocery store sold coffee helped me be very jittery for this chapter!   
  
And now, without any more babble, Chapter 11!  
  
______________  
  
Chapter 11  
Dreamscape  
  
Max felt the pain pulsing through her, starting at the points on her temple where the pads were connected. The tingling went from there down to her fingertips and toes, seeming to singe every single blood cell on the way. She arched her back momentarily at the stinging, then forced herself back down to lay flat on the cot. The pain was subsiding, thank God. Just as she began to relax again, her surroundings around her faded, and her mind was filled with a tormenting image...  
  
...Logan was coming after her. His body was battered and bruised, and blood oozing from small but deadly bullet holes could be seen in his chest. He looked almost zombie-like in the way he was walking, and his face was furious. He blamed her for his death.   
  
'How could you do it, Max?' Logan asked, his voice getting louder as he drew menacingly closer. 'You watched me die, and you did NOTHING!'  
  
'No!' She tried to reason with him, all the while slowly backing away. He looked like he could rip her apart with his bare hands. 'I couldn't do anything. I didn't want you to die! Please believe me!' Tears were streaming down her face as she pleaded with him.  
  
'You lying bitch! You brought me here to let them murder me in cold blood!' Logan came after her, his hands reaching for her throat-  
  
"NO!" Max snapped back to reality and opened her eyes. She looked coldly at Lydecker, who was standing at the foot of her bed. "It's not real," she growled at him. "It won't work! You can't make me yours."  
  
"Really Max? Well, it worked wonders with Brin. She has been fully rehabilitated. Soon, you will be too." Lydecker kept his face devoid of any emotion as he breathed the words to her. The man was completely confident in his device's capabilities with Max. It may take some time, but in the end, she would be a true soldier- the way the X-5's were designed to be.  
  
"Again," he ordered Dr. Stevenson. Stevenson immediately obeyed and once again the electric was sent through her. Max clenched her jaw and her eyes shut as her back came up in the air again. Her fist became tight balls by her side. Lydecker sauntered around the bed, intrigued with the process and her reaction. When he stopped to her left, she opened her eyes abruptly and spat on his face. She watched with satisfaction as he drew back in surprise, and lifted his hand to wipe her saliva off of his cheek  
  
"Kiss my ass, Donald." She sneered, and prepared herself for the more intense shock she knew was coming.  
  
"Higher," Lydecker ordered the doctor. Almost immediately, Max felt it, and this time, the imagery that accompanied it was more horrific and grotesque.  
  
________  
  
  
Original Cindy looked at Zack and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, getting Max and rich boy back is the plan, no doubt. But how?" she asked.  
  
"First, I want to know exactly how Max and Logan were captured." Zack looked at Bling and waited for an explanation.  
  
Bling told him the story of how Max had given Logan a transfusion a while back to save Logan's life. He explained how that transfusion had apparently began to heal Logan and that he had started to regain some feeling and movement in his legs. He went on to describe the negative affects that had started occurring when Logan's body began rejecting the foreign cells.   
  
"Apparently, Lydecker must have gotten word out to doctors here in Seattle to notify him if they saw any patients any type of unexplainable phenomena. When we took Logan to his physician, Lydecker immediately came. If you ask me, the man has been lurking around Seattle. He must have figured Max was still here. Anyways, Logan's condition continued to worsen, and to be honest, I think he would have died within forty-eight hours if Max hadn't bargained with Lydecker to help him." 'He could be dead anyways with those monsters at Manticore', Bling couldn't help but add silently.  
  
Zack's lips tightened in frustration, silently thinking that Max was too damn reckless for her own good. Especially when it came to wheel boy.  
  
"Well, Logan and Max devised a plan. It's a pretty damn good idea too, if you ask me." Bling finished.  
  
Bling proceeded to tell Original Cindy and Zack about the plan. Original Cindy listened with interest, and her eyes widened when Bling explained about the 'Eyes Only' equipment that Logan wanted to incorporate with his and Max's rescue.  
  
"Damn," she whispered. "Original Cindy always knew roller boy was hiding some kind of secret. And I always thought he looked familiar, but I could put my finger on it. Damn."  
  
"I don't like it." Zack stated, ignoring Cindy's musings about Logan being 'Eyes Only.'   
  
Bling sighed. 'How did I know that was coming?' he thought. "What don't you like?" was what he said.  
  
"I don't like the idea of getting the others involved. Not yet," Zack began. "We can get Logan back without having to call them, but when we go after Max, we'll definitely do that. I know where most of them are, but a couple of the others have moved since I last contacted them. I was out of touch after the accident, seeing as how I had such a close call with Lydecker. I needed to make sure he wasn't having me followed somehow, trying to see if I would lead him back any of them. Anyways, the facility that Logan is more than likely being kept at right now is not nearly as tightly secured as Manticore is. We get Logan back first, then he can help with some hacking that we will need when we go to Gillette."  
  
"You mean Logan isn't in Wyoming with Max?" Original Cindy asked.  
  
"Probably not," replied Zack. "Lydecker set up a small operation right outside of Seattle when Max and I had our run in with him. When we turned Brin in, he must not have like the fact that he couldn't give her medical attention until they returned to Wyoming. She was pretty bad when he got her." Zack's eyes clouded at the memory, still feeling guilty from having to give Brin back to Lydecker, even though he knew it was necessary to save her life. He paused to take a breath, and then continued on. "When I escaped after the helicopter crash, I was badly injured. He must have figured I couldn't go far, and he installed a medical facility there assuming that he would find me. This time, making sure that one of his 'kids' would be able to get proper treatment as soon as possible, before transferring them to Manticore headquarters. If Logan was in as bad shape as Bling here says he was, then they probably took him there."   
  
Bling couldn't help but be thankful that Zack was here. Zack would no doubt take charge of any rescue attempts that they were going to do. No doubt his expert knowledge of Manticore and Lydecker would help him. He couldn't also help feeling a little relieved that the fate of Max and Logan was no longer solely on his shoulders. But he had to ask Zack the question that had been bothering him for the past twenty-four hours.  
  
"Zack, what are the chances of Logan still being alive?" Bling said around the lump of fear in his throat, almost dreading the answer.  
  
"Actually, I'd say they're pretty good. The only thing we can be thankful for is that Lydecker is, if nothing else, as dedicated a scientist as he a soldier. Also, Logan's come in contact with and obviously has a close relationship to one of his X-5's. He's going to want every piece of knowledge. Of course, when Logan's medical use is tired out and he reveals all of his secrets to Deck- and he will, let there be no doubt about that- then it's over. He knows too much. We don't have too much longer. I'd say two days, three tops. Lydecker doesn't like loose ends, and he won't hesitate to tie them up as soon as he's exhausted them." Zack's mind had been thinking almost non-stop about the plan he was devising for Logan's rescue. It was a bit risky, but it was a good one. They would just need to act fast. The sooner they got Logan, the sooner they could get Max. "I'm going to warn you now, the next several days will be tiring, physical, scary and you may be at your own funeral this time next week. But I'm not going to let you turn back on me now, because this can work. First thing we need to do is find some kind of armored vehicle. Bling, you are going to take me to a couple of junkyards in the city. One of them must have something." Zack was talking quickly, not waiting for any questions they may have. He didn't have time to answer them, or the patience. He focused on Original Cindy, his face now the mask of the soldier he was designed to be. "Cindy, hope you're up to being a doctor tomorrow."  
  
"Whaddya mean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at him skeptically.   
  
"Well, it seems as if you are the newest member of the Manticore Medical Staff, and Logan Cale is one of your patients," he answered somberly.  
  
________  
  
  
'Max, oh Max. What have they done to you?' Logan wondered as Andrews stared at him, waiting for a response. 'What did they do to you to get you to tell them I was Eyes Only?'  
  
"Well, Eyes Only. You seem a little shocked that I know this information. Don't be. We have our ways. Now-"  
  
Andrews was interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind him. A tall, blond and attractive female doctor walked in, along with a clipboard and some papers. Logan was still having trouble seeing clearly from the blood that was now drying and stinging his eyes.  
  
"Hello, Dr. Paxton. How are you today?" Andrews asked, standing up to greet her.  
  
"Why, I'm fine, Major Andrews. How is our patient today?" The woman turned her attention down on Logan. He could make out that her eyes we ice blue and piercing, seeming to stare right through him. Yet, at the same time they were blank and dull. It was an odd description, but accurate.  
  
Logan answered her in the same fashion as he had been taking with Andrews. Sarcastically. "Well, I haven't eaten a thing since I've been here-obviously in some sort of starvation tactic. Little do you know that not feeding is far from torture for me. Hospital food is far from a fine cuisine. Rats get better rations from the dumpster." Logan attempted to shrug, but ended up wincing in pain instead. Andrews immediately issued a blow to Logan's weak solar plexus. Although he didn't want to, Logan couldn't help but clenching his fist to his stomach. He tried in futility to drag in breaths to offset getting the wind knocked out of him, but that also made the pain more acute. Dr. Paxton laid a well-manicured hand on Andrews shoulder.   
  
"Now, now Major. We can't have our patient in here in this condition before we perform it on him. You've got to allow him to heal. We can't risk him dying just yet. Deck would be quite pissed if he did." Paxton cajoled Andrews. Andrews' eyes were dark and swirling with anger, obviously tired of playing cat and mouse with Logan.   
  
While attempting to stabilize his breathing, Logan wondered what 'it' they were going to perform on him. It didn't sound good, and why would they need him in the best of condition? Unless there was already something very dangerous about 'it'. Logan felt the niggle of fear that had been just under the surface rise up full force again.   
  
'So it begins here,' he thought. 'This is where it starts getting deadly.'  
  
"Of course, Dr. Paxton, you're right. I shall finish with him today, because I can't say what else I would do to him." He turned toward Logan and continued. "My patience is wearing thin with you, Mr. Cale. But we will have all the information we need out of you by tomorrow evening. And then, you will be soundly disposed of. Enjoy the few hours you have left."   
  
"Of course I will. I mean this is a lovely facility here. Wonderful relaxing environment." Logan smirked. Andrews went for the throat this time, thankfully pulling the punch right as he landed a millimeter above Logan's esophagus. It wasn't a hard hit, but the positioning of it was perfect. Immediately, tears burst out of his eyes on a reflexive action, and he struggled to breath. His throat was on fire, and for a minute he swore everything went black.   
  
"Come on, Andrews" the lovely doctor said with annoyance coloring her voice. "Let's go. You've done quite enough. Now, I really want to be able to start this tomorrow, and I won't be able to if you don't stop, damn it!" She grabbed Andrews arm and pulled him out of the door, casting a blank stare at Logan as she walked out.   
  
After about ten minutes, Logan finally felt the pain ease in his throat. He was thankful for that, but he was worried about what tomorrow would bring.  
  
'Bling, where are you?' he questioned silently, wishing he could mentally force Bling to come through with the plan and practically have him or one of the X-5's walk through the door - preferably Max. He felt his eyes start to get droopy, and realized that they still must have the medication still in his intravenous drip. He didn't want to sleep anymore. He felt out of sorts because that's all he seemed to be doing is sleeping-or getting hammered by Andrews. Of course, in that case, he much preferred sleeping.  
  
'Max. What hell you must be going through. You gave yourself back to these monsters to save my life- these unemotional, uncaring bastards. All for me, a man who has done nothing but manipulate you for his own selfish purposes. Oh, I tried to tell myself that I was saving the world, but all I was doing was making myself feel better - easing my own guilt because I happened to get lucky and have money. I used you. But you did everything I ever asked you to without fail, and put your ass on the line to save mine many times. Even giving yourself back to your own personal antichrist. You got guts. I always admired that about you.' A tear slid past his now closed eyes and rolled down his face, mixing with blood at his lip. He missed her so much, and he felt guilt slam into him. It was his fault. All because he wanted another damn transfusion so he could walk again. He compromised Max's most prized possession-her freedom.  
  
In that instant, he knew without a doubt that he was totally and irrevocably in love with Max Guevara. If something happened to her, his heart might as well dry up and turn to dust; the world might as well stop spinning. The sun would no longer need to shine for him and there would only be eternal winters. There would be nothing to live for. If he got out of here alive, he would slay her the dragons of her sordid past and teach her how to love.   
  
With thoughts of Max, he drifted asleep.  
  
__________________  
  
  
A young Zack was coming after her. Blood was on his face, covering his mouth and tinting his teeth a pink color.   
  
'Come here, Maxie. I just want to show you something. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to play in the woods. Can we play, Maxie? Let's play with the man in the woods. Like hide and seek. He just better hope we don't find him.' Zack snarled at her as he kept coming nearer and nearer.  
  
'Get away from me!' she screamed. 'I'm not like that anymore! I've changed!'   
  
'You'll never change. Never.' Zack said as he stepped closer. You'll always be the same girl. Now, I want to play with you Maxie. Forget the man. Why don't you run, and I'll try to catch you. Run!"  
  
She turned and ran as fast as she could. But she wasn't fast enough. For every step she took, Zack took as many as three. He was catching up while she seemed to run in slow motion. She could feel his presence on her back, but she was too afraid to turn her head and see just how close he was. She tried to jump backward over him, but her enhanced abilities were none at the moment. As if she were just a regular human being.   
  
'Nooo! Please!' she cried as she felt his strong hand grip her by the back of her neck. He turned her around slowly to face him. Instead of Zack this time, it was Logan.   
  
'It was your fault I was in a wheelchair. You did that to me. You could have saved me that day. But you didn't. I hate you for that.' He opened his mouth and came near her lips as if to kiss her, but blood flowed freely down his chin as he did so. She shrieked and tried to back away as he drew close. She tried to hit him, but her punches held no force behind him. She was completely vulnerable.   
  
Lydecker appeared by her side, whispering in her ear. 'I can help you Max. I can make them go away.'  
  
She said nothing, and Logan grabbed her by the throat. He slowly started to squeeze the life out of her.  
  
'Come on Max. I know you want me to help you.' Lydecker said in a soft manner. His voice reflected his desire to take her away from these awful images.   
  
'Unnnnh...' Max moaned, unsure of herself. 'You can't help me.'  
  
Logan's eyes started oozing a nasty green slime, and his face was becoming contorted. Then, his lips started turning blue and his hair seemed to go brittle. Almost as if his body was decomposing right before her eyes. He leaned in and kissed Max, leaving the trace of blood upon her own lips. She instinctively reached her tongue out to taste the thick liquid, for one second enjoying it's metallic flavor. Then, she screamed in horror.  
  
'Logan, please! Don't do this to me. Please...I thought you cared about me. I didn't mean to kill you. You've got to know that!'  
  
'Do I Max? Do I?' Logan sneered and leaned in for another morbid taste of her. She began crying and tried with no avail to twist away from him.   
  
'I'm here, Max. All you have to do is ask for me. Say it, Max. Say you want my help.' Lydecker reached his hands toward her, offering them to her.  
  
'Help me, please' she whispered.   
  
'I will Max. I'll help you. Do you trust me?' he asked.  
  
'Yes... I trust you. Just please, help me.' Max sobbed, and almost collapsed. Something started scratching at her memory, telling her that Lydecker was not her friend and she was making a grave mistake...  
  
"NO! I don't trust you!" Max's eyes flew open and she jerked her head up. The pads came off her forehead with the movement. She saw the doctor's jerk with surprise at her sudden shift. To her side, Lydecker laughed delightedly. She herself was sweating profusely and tears slicked her cheeks. Max was absolutely disgusted with herself, and still very disoriented. She didn't know how much more she could take. And she knew Lydecker was just beginning with this sick little toy of his.  
  
"You will Max. You almost did just now. You will. Now, Dr. Stevenson, turn it to the next level. Let's see how much more Max can take. She always was one of my strongest, and it will be quite interesting to see how she fights it." Lydecker leaned down by her ear as he replaced the pads back to their original position on her. She twisted as much as possible, but she was weak from whatever drug they were keeping her on. Then, she heard him whisper in her ear. "Trust me, Max." With that, the shock that came from the wicked device slipped her immediately back into a horrific dreamscape.  
  
______   
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Please R&R! There is no greater pleasure than seeing the people who read this give me their thoughts about it. I get happy and dance like a schoolgirl! :)  
  
  
  



	12. Revelations

Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I don't own any of the Dark Angel characters. No, no-I really don't. It was just as much of a shock to me. I do have rights to Logan, but James Cameron and Chic Eglee stole him from me. I will get him back...they just don't know it yet. :) When I do, I may be willing to share Logan if you guys keep reviewing! :)

Special Thanks to: ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS. You guys ROCK! I can't believe that so many people have reviewed. :) It's so neat! This is my first ever fic, and I NEVER expected this kind of response. I hoped, sure, but I didn't really think it would happen! :)

Also, thanks to: Meka, for her beta reading, BlackWolf for his help with my questions about weapons and explosives; and Zig, because he had a REALLY 

COOL plot twist idea, which I used. Plus, he makes a hell of a beta reader too. :)

Also, thanks to the cocoa plant. Without this wonderful plant, I wouldn't be enjoying this wonderful cup of hot chocolate I am drinking now.

A/N: Seriously, I am blown away by the amount of reviews I have received. It just makes me want to keep writing for all of you wonderful people! :) You make me feel so loved! Someone wrote a review wondering what kind of job let's my write fan fic all the time. This kind: I am in the technical recruiting industry. This means I find jobs for people in the IT industry, and find companies looking to give people jobs. I seriously want to become a novelist though. It's my passion. I love writing with every fiber of my being. 

Okay, enough about me- on to Chapter 12!

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The Enemy Within

Chapter 12

Revelations

Original Cindy sat on the couch wringing her hands while waiting for Bling and Zack. She hadn't argued when Zack had told her that by this time tomorrow, she would be impersonating a doctor in enemy territory. Thinking about it now, though, she was scared. She would be walking into Max's living nightmare. Max had told her some of the horror stories about Manticore, and Original Cindy had to admit that she was damn scared about pulling this off. She was completely confident in Zack's capabilities to back her up if she needed it, and even Bling's presence left her feeling more secure than not, though she knew nothing of the man before today except a passing mention from Max here and there. What she had seen of him gave her the impression that Bling was a confident, kind and caring man. As long as you were on his good side. 

Still, it would be her going in there alone. Sure, she would have a gun that Zack was going to give to her for protection, but that knowledge added small comfort. Knowing that she may have to use it was a little frightening. She didn't want to be put into a situation where she would be forced to defend her and possibly Logan's life. Sure, she had taken care of herself out on the streets, often times in what could have turned into life threatening situations. But these Manticore guys were for real, and there was no doubt they would shoot first and ask questions later.

She was just going to have to make sure that she would be on her toes, and if it came down to it, she would get the first shot off.

Outside, Original Cindy heard the telltale signs of a couple of cars running over twigs, leaves and sand. She stood up from her spot on the couch and walked to window. Peeking out, she saw Logan's Aztek along with an old armored car that was painted black slowing to a stop. 

Bling and Zack were back.

Walking over to the door to open it, she told herself that no matter how scared she was, she would go through with this. Max was her girl, and Max would do the same thing for her.

________________

Max lay unconscious on the medical bed, twisting and turning at the private movie that was playing in her head. The conversion device designed to make her dream state a living hell was doing its job well. Lydecker looked down, unable to smother the smug and satisfied smile off of his face. She would be his soon, his soldier once again.

Like it should be.

_________________

_...Max was in a dark and musty cave. She could hear water dripping in the distance, echoing loudly throughout the cavern. The only other sound to keep her company was her own heartbeat, which was frantic and off pace in her own ears. She sank to her knees onto the cool and rocky ground, pebbles stinging her hands as she began to crawl, looking to find the light that would signal an exit to this dank hell. Something wasn't far behind her, ready to pounce if she made one wrong move. She had to be damn sure she didn't._

_Behind her, a small sound caught her attention. It was the sound of a footstep scraping against small stones. She tried to adjust her eyes to the abyss around her, desperately attempting to see something that would clue her in to her stalker's whereabouts. She was always good at escape and evade, but she never had this much on the line. It was never truly dangerous for her. She had a feeling that if she didn't escape this time, it would be her last._

_ After a minute, when Max still couldn't see in the darkness around her and she had heard nothing to allude that the attacker may be behind her any longer, she resumed her slow crawl. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, a sliver of light appeared ahead of her. Max became excited. There was a way out after all! She subconsciously picked up speed, completely enamored on getting to the outside world and away from the monster that was behind her. She couldn't shake the thought that if the monster caught her, she would lose part of herself. An important part of herself that she was desperately clinging to._

_Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the form that was on the ground in front of her until she literally ran into it. Her eyes adjusting with the help of the dim light, Max saw that it was a man's body, laying facedown in a puddle of water on the cave's floor. _

_'Don't turn him over' her mind screamed. Yet, she felt this morbid need to see who it was. Mud was clumped in the man's fine hair, so much so that it was hard for her to make out it's color. Slowly -oh so slowly- Max eased the man onto his back. Staring down in shock, a tear slipped down her face as she saw Zack's unblinking eyes look right through her. They were no longer filled with life, just the flatness that is death. She sobbed for her dead brother._

_'It was your fault, Maxie. I turned myself in for you, and you let them kill me.' A voice whispered around her, causing her to jerk her head up. The corpse still lay unmoving beneath her hands. Immediately, she lifted her arms away from it and crawled backwards, as if Zack's body had burned her flesh. She looked around, searching for the person who had spoken those words. She found no one._

_'Zack?' she inquired, shifting her gaze back to the body that lay in front of her. _

_The lifeless body suddenly sat up, and Max screamed..._

__

________________________

"Cindy," Zack said, holding a small object in his hand. "This is your earpiece. You are going to use the pen to talk to me, so make sure you keep it in your front jacket pocket." He set the microphone and earpiece down on the table in front of him, and picked up the gun and attachment that lay next to it. "This is a Walther P999 you can use. You should have no problem with it." Zack said in a no-nonsense type tone, attaching a silencer to the deadly object in his hand.

"Original Cindy is familiar with weapons," she said, and took the pistol from Zack. She set it down beside the labcoat and the professional black pantsuit that lay on the bed. When Zack had got back from getting the armored car today, he had surprised Original Cindy with clothes that he had picked up from her and Max's apartment on the way back. He had wanted to find the most professional outfit Cindy had, but was also kind enough to pick up a couple of T- shirts and jeans so Cindy could have fresh clothes. When she asked how he was able to get the physician's coat, Zack had stated "That's not important," and left it at that. The boy wanted to pretend he was a bad ass who didn't need anybody, but Cindy knew there was more to him than that.

"Are you sure you got the plan down," Zack asked Cindy for what must have been the fifth time that evening. 

"Yes, Original Cindy has told you how many times that she understands what needs to be done?" she asked him with annoyance slightly tinting her voice. "I know what I need to do."

Zack looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should still run the plan over one more time with her. It was dangerous, sending her in there alone, but it was the best plan he had. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an object the size of a credit card that had a clip attached to it. On the front, it had the words 'Medical Staff' printed in large block letters, and a picture of Original Cindy on it. The back had a long bar line that was meant to be swiped for identification. Zack handed it to Original Cindy.

"How did-" she began.

"When you've been on the run as long as I have, you make contacts. I've been in Seattle for a while and I learned who can do what," Zack stated. "Wheel boy is not the only one who can get things done. I found the picture in your apartment this afternoon. I took the card off of a doctor that had been riding in my helicopter when it went down for a 'just in case' situation. This is that situation. I had your picture put on this afternoon. It's a pretty good job, and it will make your entrance much easier. You should have no problem getting in. Tomorrow, you will be Jennifer Simmons."

Original Cindy listened and nodded. She couldn't help but be amazed at the man's tendency to always be prepared for the worst. He was quite different from Max, yet in so many ways exactly the same. They both had the penchant for expecting things to go bad.

"Alright, we wake up at 4:30. You take the Aztek, and Bling and I will take the armored truck. I have another tag to put Logan's car, just in case anyone decides to run it. You sleep in here, Bling will take the guest room, and I'll sleep on the couch. I will knock three times in the morning, and I expect you to be ready to go thirty minutes after. Understand?"

"Yes, Captain Zack, Original Cindy has it down. Now, get outta here so Original Cindy can get some rest. You and Max may not need it, but us normal people have to have it to function." Zack said nothing, but Original Cindy could swear that he almost smiled. He turned on his heel and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. 

Cindy flopped down on the fluffy mattress and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't deny that she was scared; her stomach was practically doing somersaults in her body. She highly doubted she would get a wink of sleep tonight. Glancing over at the clock on the night table next to her, she sat up to adjust the alarm for four-fifteen, before easing her body back down on the bed. 

The gun caught her eye. Original Cindy had a sick feeling that she would need to use it before tomorrow was over with.

"Max, wherever you are, we're going to get you back. That's a promise Original Cindy intends to keep." She said aloud, her voice echoing in the room. A tear slipped down her cheek thinking about the hell that her best friend was no doubt being subjected to at this very moment.

She swiped her face and looked at the wetness on her hand. It was going to be a long night.

______________________

Logan couldn't sleep. His body was desperately crying for rest, but his mind just wouldn't shut down - even with the drugs they were still pumping in his system. He'd been in this tiny room for days-hell, it could even be weeks- and he was starting to feel extremely claustrophobic. His mind was starting to do weird things to him. He would hear a tiny noise, and his heart would jump up into his throat. Logan kept expecting that door to open and Andrews to come through with a gun raised to Logan's face. They would dispose of him sooner or later, and with time continuing to pass, it would no doubt be sooner. He felt as if he was pushing the envelope. He could feel his death coming nearer. 

He was positive that after whatever 'it' was that young female doctor was talking about with Andrews, he would be completely expendable to Manticore. 

Logan lay in bed and began praying to a God that he hadn't often spoken to since his parents' horrible death, pleading for Bling to come with the others. This wasn't the first time he had asked for this particular scenario, and it very well me the last. Logan didn't believe he would be alive in twenty-four hours. 

"Please, God. Give us all a miracle," he whispered. 

_______________________

__

_...Zack quickly reached out to grab Max's hand, but she was able to scamper to her feet before he could. She turned and ran away from him, away from the light that she had so badly wanted to go toward. Now she was hurling herself back into the cavern's darkness, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from Zack. He wanted to kill her; she could practically feel his hatred for her radiating and burning her skin. The feeling was so intense that she put her hands up to her bare arms to begin to rub them, as if she could wipe the hatred off. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle and she tripped forward, the ground rushing up to smack her hard. Her lip busted as her face hit, but she didn't have time to think about it. Whatever- whoever- had snatched her foot was now pulling them with an insane force toward them. Max couldn't see in the shadows who it was. She felt nails digging into her heel, and she screeched, trying with no avail to twist out of the monster's grasp. Her own fingers dragged along the dirt bottom of the cave, scratching on stones and bugs and other unknown things, but Max couldn't find anything to hang on to as she was completely taken by the creature. She turned her body, dreading to face whoever it was. When Max saw the face of her assailant, she took in a breath of shocked air._

_'You? Why are you after me?' Max whispered. 'You're my friend-you would never hurt me.'_

_'You killed me Max. The Reds killed me, all because they wanted you.' Original Cindy said out of blue lips, her voice scratchy with the voice of the dead. Max looked down and saw a bullet hole in the middle of Original Cindy's chest. Her eyes flew back up to Cindy's, her confusion evident in them._

_"But I saved you. You were..." Max began, her voice shaking and tears threatening._

_"No! You didn't, Max. They killed me. You let them murder me. You didn't tell me that I would be in danger, and I died. Because of you. And now you will die too."_

_Original Cindy held up her hand, which had a long knife gleaming in it. She raised it slowly toward Max and pressed the tip of the blade to her throat. Max closed her eyes and swallowed..._

_____________________________

Lydecker looked at Max's heart monitor. It was jumping up erratically as Max's breaths became even more rushed. 

Dr. Stevenson looked over at Lydecker. "I think now would be a good time, sir. I am not sure how much more she can take before going into cardiac arrest." He suggested somberly.

Lydecker rubbed his chin with his hand and seemed to think it over for a minute, before waving the doctor's suggestion off. 

"Not yet, Stevenson. She isn't ready for me. It won't succeed if we do it now. Give her a few more minutes, then we'll try."

"But, sir-" Dr. Stevenson said before Lydecker cut him off.

"I said we'll give it a few more minutes" he commanded, then turned back to the female form writhing on the bed.

________________________________

Original Cindy drove the Aztek toward the gate of the medical center. She felt as if she were about to puke and her insides were jelly, but her outward appearance gave no mention of that. Her face was calm and collected and her make up was natural and professional looking. Her hair was pulled back into a French twist, and the coat and dark pantsuit really did make her look the role of the doctor. 

She looked in her rearview mirror. There was no one following her, as Bling and Zack had turned off on their own direction around ten minutes before. Zack was going to have the other vehicle waiting in the woods surrounding the building, planning later meet up with Cindy when she had Logan. If anything were to arise, she just had to say the word 'moon', and that would signal to Zack and Bling that she was in trouble.

Original Cindy prayed that she wouldn't have to give the signal. 

She turned her head down and spoke into the pen, as Zack had directed her. "I'm approaching the gate station. I will let you know when I am through." 

"Acknowledged", Zack's hard voice said in her ear. She eased the car to a stop and rolled down the window. She waited for the armed guard that was manning the station to come up to the door. 

"Identification, please." The man said in a clipped manner. 

Cindy handed him the card and he walked inside the small building that housed the security device. She saw him swipe the card and wait for a computer to clear the guest. She unconsciously held her breath, and the seconds seemed to stretch into minutes. Her right hand came off the steering wheel and found it's way into the pocket that her gun was in. Her stomach lurched more with every moment that passed. 

Finally, the guard seemed satisfied with the information on the monitor and he walked back toward Cindy with the card in his hand. He gave her a smile and handed the ID back to her.

"Have a nice day, Ms. Simmons," the man said and waved her through. She rolled her window back up and put the car back into drive. She whooshed the breath out that been holding.

She was in. She just hoped to God she would be able to make it out.

_____________________

_...Max kicked hard and somehow landed a swift blow to Original Cindy's solar plexus. Immediately, Cindy dropped the knife and Max got on her feet and began running again. She ran until her body was too tired to go anymore and she slumped to the ground. Sobs racked her body until it hurt. She felt like she couldn't breathe and a dull pain was beginning to settle in her chest. She had just closed her eyes to gather her thoughts when she felt a small hand touch her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she was looking at Eva. _

_'Oh my God,' Max half groaned, half cried. 'Not you too. Please, not you too.' She was going crazy. She had to be. That's the only thing that could explain it. _

_Eva said nothing but she ripped Max's shirt off of her. Something on Max's upper chest must've caught Eva's eye because Eva's hand came up to touch it. Max looked down and saw the same image that had been on the ex-con's chest that the X-5's had tracked down when they were younger. The man they had all mutilated with their teeth and hands. Max stood up and began to try to wipe the sickening emblem off, but it was tattooed into her skin. Eva emitted a feral cry and jumped onto Max, biting hard into the skin at the base of Max's throat._

_"Nooo..." Max cried, shoving Eva hard, making Eva's teeth rip deeper into her flesh..._

_______________________________ 

"Alright, Cindy. Remember, if you need me, just say the word 'moon'. I'll be there." Zack's reminded her through the small radio Cindy couldn't reply, because she was now inside the building. It didn't look like too much of a medical facility-it appeared to be more of a warehouse than anything. It had that same sterile smell of a hospital, and it just added to Cindy's nerves. She was just going to have to feel her way around in here until she was able to find the room that Logan was being kept in. Walking down the hall, she glanced back and forth between doors that were shut. Beside each one there was a plastic slot for a medical chart, yet they were all empty. She assumed that whatever room Logan was in would have his chart there. She kept going down the seemingly endless corridor, glancing at several doors on her right and left. She made sure to nod politely to the people that passed her and occasionally even said 'hi' or 'good morning' as to not arouse any sort of suspicion. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she came across a slot that was filled with a chart. Nonchalantly, she stopped in front of the door and picked it up and read. Cale, Logan. 'Bingo!' she thought. Original Cindy slipped the papers back into their place and back and backtracked down the hall, stopping to get a wheelchair that she passed along the way. She doubted rich boy would have enough strength to walk, seeing how he was just getting his legs back. It would be much quicker if she could just put him in there and roll him out. 

She wheeled the chair to Logan's room. Taking the ID off its clip on her labcoat, she swiped it down the device that would unlock the door. Hearing the soft click of the lock give away, she turned the knob and eased the door open.

Logan looked up as Cindy came in. When he heard the lock, he had expected Andrews or even one of the doctors. He certainly hadn't expected an avenging angel in the form of Original Cindy to appear. His heart danced with euphoria and if he could have jumped up and hugged her, he would have done so. He waited till she shut the door behind her before he spoke.

"How did you-' he began. 

"No time for that right now. I'm here. You look like hell, by the way. When we're outta here, tell me what the hell they did to your face," she said in Original Cindy fashion. Logan smiled and yanked the tube out of his nose. It almost made him vomit in the process, but he didn't care. He was too damn happy right now. The feeling seemed to be contagious because Original Cindy gave him a huge smile that she couldn't seem to hold back. Logan gingerly sat up in the bed and let her remove the IV from his arm. When she was done with that task, she went to get the wheelchair for him. He threw his arm around her neck and she grabbed him around the back, both working together to get him into the chair that he had wanted for so long to get out of. Now, he was thankful just to be back in it. A little ironic, he thought, but somehow fitting to his life lately. As he was settling into the chair, a deep and familiar male voice sliced through the air. 

"Well, well, Mr. Cale. Why don't you introduce me to your friend?" An amused voice asked.

Cindy froze, her arm still around Logan. He moved his head to the side, looking around her body to see Major Andrews at the door, a gun raised and leveled to the back of Original Cindy's head.

____________________________

__

_...Max cried out in pain, not only at the gnawing of Eva's mouth, but also at the pain that was growing in her chest. _

_'EVA! Stop it!' Max screamed, pulling at Eva's hair. Finally, Max got Eva Free of her throat, but when the other girl's face became visible again, Max saw that it was no longer her dead sister, but Logan. _

_'What the hell?' Max sobbed, confused. _

_'I'm back, Max. I told you, I want you dead. And I will kill you, the same way you murdered that man when you were younger.' The blood was once again dripping from his mouth and teeth, making his face a grotesque mask of a monster. He wasn't wearing his glasses and his eyes were no longer cerulean blue but a devilish black. _

_'Logan, please. I -I love you. You're my friend. You're my life. Please, don't do this to me.'_

_'You were the one who took away my legs Max. All because you couldn't help. You were a selfish little bitch. Because of you I can't walk!' He spat the hate filled words out at her._

_'But I gave you the transfusion, I wanted to help you walk again...'_

_He backhanded her, causing blood to spurt from her nose. _

_"It didn't help! I rejected your blood! As if that wasn't enough, you gave me to them. You let them kill me. You sat and watched."_

_He was repeating the same things he had said earlier when he had given her the bloody kiss. This time, everything that he was speaking hit her so much harder, after dealing with Zack, Original Cindy and Eva. Every word caused her chest to hurt more. Each pain was a hot, sharp stab beneath her left breast. _

_Logan slowly bent his head forward. At first she thought he was going to kiss her again, but he stopped at her neck. He bit down hard and made a wound inches away from the one Eva had caused earlier._

________________________

The heart monitor began to jump wildly.

"She's going into cardiac arrest, sir." Stevenson said, concern etching his voice.

Dr. Johns looked at Lydecker. "You have to do it now. Otherwise, she'll die," she said soberly.

Lydecker nodded, and Stevenson pressed a button on his machine.

_________________________

_'Max.' Lydecker's voice cajoled. "Let me help you. I can make them all go away. Just follow me.' _

_Max didn't even have to think about it- she couldn't think about it. Her mind was mush and she was no longer able to tell reality from dreams. She just wanted to be away from these horrors. The pain in her chest was overbearing, and she was going to black out soon. _

_'Yes,' she cried to Lydecker. "Please, help me.' _

_______________

Max opened her eyes, and turned them toward Lydecker, who was still standing beside her bed. 

"I trust you, just make them go away. I'm yours if you just make them go away," she whimpered. Then, she blacked out again, this time thankfully into a dreamless sleep of exhaustion, trusting her arch nemesis to take care of and comfort her.

She had just given herself willingly and completely over to Donald Lydecker.

"Welcome home, Max." he said, and brushed an errant hair off of her forehead.

_______________________

A/N: Whew! Sorry that took a while; it's just been a busy week at work (for once). I am sorry if there are any grammatical flaws. I wrote this part and won't have it beta read just yet, but I am excited to get it posted. 

Please don't be a silent reader. Leave a review! 


	13. 

Disclaimer: You guys know I don't own any characters from DA, except for Logan. (He is mine, and I will get him back!) But I like to play with Max and the others, and make a new little world for them. One, that I like to think, at least, is somewhat interesting. :)  
  
A/N: All right, I cannot promise when the next update will be. This one took so long because my boyfriend's grandmother is dying, and everything is all up in the air right now. I really wanted to write this, because I had the ideas floating around in my head since the last chapter, but it could be a week to 10 days before I post chapter 14. :(  
  
Special Thanks: To all my wonderful readers/reviewers. You guys really don't have any idea how much you keep me going. I have just as much fun writing this story as hopefully you do reading it. Thanks for all your support. :)  
  
Thanks also to: BlackWolf-for he is my weapons/explosives source; and Zig-because he not only had an excellent plot idea that I used earlier on in the story, but he is a wonderful beta reader! :)  
  
BTW, I am suffering from major writer's block, so if this sucks, please don't hurt me.   
  
Warning: Some of this could be pretty graphic.  
  
  
___________________   
  
The Enemy Within  
  
Chapter 13  
Out With a Bang  
  
Original Cindy knew that there was a gun aimed at the back of her head- she could feel it, even if she couldn't see it. The man sounded like he was at least a good three feet behind her, but some sort of sixth sense had kicked in-the kind that comes with adrenaline controlling you. A lump of fear settled in her throat, and she swallowed thickly. This was not good.   
  
"Ah, Major Andrews. I was wondering when you would come back." Logan said around Cindy, in a slightly amused voice. His eyes, however, looked anything but pleasantly surprised by their visitor's presence.   
  
"It would have been rude of me not to welcome your guest, Mr. Cale." Andrews said in an equally cordial voice.   
  
Original Cindy caught Logan's eye and she turned her gaze down to her right jacket pocket, where the Walther was bulging slightly against the fabric. Logan's gaze followed and his eyes flickered with recognition at the object. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod, acknowledging that he understood what it was she wanted him to do.   
  
"So, Logan. Who is this intriguing woman?" Andrews said and shut the door softly behind him.  
  
_______________________  
  
"I don't like this," Zack told Bling as he listened intently to the earphone. "She's in trouble. There's someone in there with them."  
  
Bling looked somberly over at the man sitting next to him. "What do you want to do?" he questioned the X-5.  
  
"She hasn't given us the word yet. We wait. She may have a handle on the situation. Until she tells us to move, we do nothing." Zack tried to sound confident, but he was fighting an internal battle with himself. One part of him was saying that Cindy was smart, and if she got in serious trouble, she had the gun. The other part was feeling guilty for sending her in there anyways. It should have been him, but that would have been dangerous. Someone may have recognized him. Lydecker would have made sure that all Manticore's employees would have a pretty good idea of what the X-5's looked like.  
  
"I guess all we can do is wait then," Bling said and ran a hand down his face. Zack looked at Bling, but didn't reply. There was nothing that needed to be said.  
  
  
______________________________  
  
  
  
"Major Andrews, this is Original Cindy. A good friend of mine." Logan said leaning forward to get a better glimpse at Andrews. This enabled him to reach into Cindy's coat pocket without the man behind her noticing. He felt his way until he could wrap his fingers around the gun.   
  
"Nice to meet you, Original Cindy." Andrews said. "You must be really loyal to Mr. Cale here to venture in here today. Either that, or you're really stupid."  
  
Cindy eyes stayed focused on Logan, not wanting to make the wrong move. Her heart was pounding in her ears, seemingly deafening everything around her. She felt as if she were in some sort of bad dream, but knew all too well that this situation was very real. If she made any mistakes, she would be dead in less than a minute. Logan would undoubtedly follow soon after.  
  
"Original Cindy just felt that the man's accommodations could be a little nicer, that's all", she replied with saccharine sweetness. She felt Logan take hold of the gun and slowly began pulling it out of the jacket. She seemed to be nailed to the floor, and unable to breathe. Logan's eyes caught hers again, and he jerked his head slightly to the right. 'Okay,' she mouthed, letting him know she understood what he was going to do. Logan carefully drew the Walther out, trying to not make any more movement than necessary. He was thankful that Original Cindy's body was blocking him almost completely from his captor's view.  
  
"Well, we tend to think that his stay here has been just fine. However, we have no vacancy for you at this time. It was nice to meet you, even though it was for such a short time." Andrews chuckled and cocked his gun. The sound seemed to ricochet off the walls, and Original Cindy felt her face go pale.   
  
"NOW!" Logan yelled. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Logan took his left arm and pushed Original Cindy to the ground. Andrews own gun fired simultaneously, and a searing pain ripped through Logan's shoulder. In the back of his mind, he could hear Cindy's shriek of terror, but at the moment, he was totally focused on the person standing just a few feet away from him- the man who had tortured him mercilessly for the past few days. Logan pulled the trigger on his weapon and felt it give a satisfying jerk. A quiet whoosh was followed almost instantaneously by a sickening crackle as bullet ripped through flesh and bone. Andrews' head jerked back violently and blood splattered the door behind him. His eyes stared blankly as his dead body slumped to the ground. Logan inhaled deeply, and closed his still swollen eyes. He was valiantly trying not to vomit.   
  
"Cindy? Are you OK? What the hell is going on? CINDY??" Zack's voice crackled in her ear, but at the moment she couldn't talk. Her breath coming in heaves, she looked over at the corpse on the floor and silently thanked God. Looking back at Logan, she felt a rush of gratitude. He had saved her life. Sitting up on her knees, she hugged him tightly, rejoicing in the feel of him- thankful that she was alive to feel him. He returned her embrace with fervor. In that moment, they were content to just the other take comfort in being able to feel another person, no matter what lay on the other side of the room. And that was enough.  
  
____________________________  
  
  
"DAMN IT!" Zack shouted. "CINDY? Are you there?"  
  
Bling didn't say anything. He feared the worst, but neither him or Zack was ready to give up hope yet. They had listened in horror as a man named Andrews and Logan had an almost polite exchange of words. Then, Logan had screamed 'now', and that was followed by a lot of rustling and movement that carried through the mic. The earsplitting gunshot- from what they assumed was Andrews gun- then a reply to that one from the silencer, was the last thing they heard. Since then, nothing. That was over a minute ago, and still there was no response from Original Cindy or Logan.  
  
"Cindy, please talk to me. Let me know you're still there." Zack's usually hard voice was taking on a slightly pleading manner.   
  
"Hey, man, I think we need to go ahead and-", Bling began around the bile that was building in his esophagus.  
  
"Zack?" Cindy's shaken voice came through the radio.  
  
"Cindy? What the hell happened? Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, just a little woken up, so to speak. Original Cindy's got Logan and a dead army man in here. Score one for the good guys." Zack gave a small smile at that, but that disappeared as she continued on. "Look, Logan's injured. He was shot in the shoulder."   
  
"Is he bleeding bad?" Zack questioned.  
  
"Well, it's a steady flow, but the boy says he's fine. It's pretty high up, so Original Cindy don't think it hit anything major." She sucked in a breath, obviously trying to stay keep her emotions in check.  
  
"No one's came after that gunshot. It was pretty loud, Cindy." Zack said.   
  
"Well, the peeps here must be paranoid or something, because I think this room is soundproofed. We're good right now. I'm gonna get him outta here. Original Cindy's got wrap something about Logan's shoulder to try to slow the bleeding so give me a bit."  
  
"You got it. Just remember, all you have to do is say-"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Original Cindy knows this. Say moon, and you got my back. Aiight let me finish getting rich boy outta here."  
  
_____________________________________  
  
Logan winced as Cindy wrapped the gauze around his shoulder.   
  
"That hurt?" she asked.  
  
"Trust me, I've had worse the past couple of days," he said, giving her a small smile.  
  
The stench of blood was permeating the room, making the air seem thick and nauseating. Logan couldn't keep his eyes from straying toward the unmoving body in front of him. He had killed a man. He knew he had no other choice, but it really didn't make him feel better.   
  
"It was him or us, you know." Cindy said, correctly reading Logan's thoughts.  
  
"I know. It's just...I've never had to kill anyone before."  
  
"Well, think of all the people's lives you just saved. He wouldn't hesitate to murder, Logan. He doesn't deserve you feeling guilty about it," she stated.  
  
"I know." She wrapped the gauze tight around his arm, making him jerk slightly in pain.   
  
"You ready to get outta here?" she asked, standing up and walking toward a medicine cabinet in the corner of the room.  
  
"You bet your ass I am," he answered, unable to stop the relieved grin that formed on his face.  
  
Cindy gathered some supplies from the cabinet and stuffed them in her coat pocket. Turning back to him, she grabbed the handles on the wheelchair and rolled him toward the door. She had dragged Andrews body near the bed Logan had lain on- no small feat since he was a solid fifty pounds heavier than she was-but adrenaline and the urge to get out of this hell hole was on her side. She had also helped herself to the gun that had shot Logan and almost killed her, tucking it inside the elastic of her pants and under her coat.  
  
"Well, let's what the hell are we waiting for?" Cindy asked, and smiled down at him. Together, they opened the door, and prepared to face whatever may be on the other side of it.  
  
  
_________________________________________________________  
  
  
"We drive in and detonate in ten minutes," Zack told Bling. Bling jerked his head up toward Zack.   
  
"Detonate? What are you talking about?" he asked.  
  
"Look in here, Bling." Zack said, gesturing broadly to the insides of the armored truck with his hand. "What do you see?"   
  
Bling looked around, still perplexed. Several boxes filled the vehicle, but he hadn't really thought about what filled them. Suddenly, a light seemed to come on over his head, and his eyes widened with realization. They were sitting inside practically one enormous bomb.  
  
"Wait a minute, we didn't discuss this-" Bling began.  
  
"There was nothing to discuss. I am in charge here, and this is what we are going to do." Zack said as he began to climb up to the driver's seat of the vehicle. "This baby is filled with enough explosives to blow a nice hole in the earth. It will level that building, for sure." Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small remote device; similar to the one Logan had made for his apartment's devastation. This one, however, was more professional and high tech looking.  
  
Bling said nothing. After all, it was Zack who was trained to be a mercenary. Yet, he couldn't push aside the queasy feeling that rested in the pit of his stomach. Starting up the truck, Zack pulled the gearshift into drive, and they eased out of the wooded area toward the road.  
  
_______________________________  
  
  
  
They had no problems until they reached the exit of the building. Then, all hell broke loose. A loud alarm began to shriek overhead and Cindy jumped with the sound.   
  
"Aw, hell," she muttered under her breath.   
  
"Damn! I think someone just discovered our friend Andrews." Logan said over the shrill and piercing siren.  
  
She pulled the pen up toward her mouth and spoke into it.  
  
"MOON. Do you hear me, Zack? MOON."   
  
"Zack?" Logan asked and looked up toward her, his expression shocked.  
  
"Yeah. As Original Cindy said, it's a long story, and I don't exactly have the time to tell you about it now." She picked up the pace and rolled Logan out into the parking lot. The Aztek was only about thirty feet away, but that distance seemed like miles.   
  
"What the hell? He's supposed to be dea-"  
  
"Stop right there!" a loud, militant voice said from behind them.   
  
Slowly, she turned around. There were a dozen troops behind them, all of their weapons aimed on her and Logan.  
  
She sighed heavily, and plastered an innocent smile on her face.  
  
"Can I help you boys?" she asked.  
  
_________________________  
  
  
Max sat in the middle of the large classroom. She was the sole student and the empty chairs around her should have been creepy. Max didn't notice that she was by herself, however. She was totally focused on the screen in front of her, paying attention to the words that were appearing on the large white surface, taking pains to burn every single syllable into memory. It was important to her becoming a good soldier again. She had made a mistake, but she was thankful that Lydecker still had faith in her. Max wanted to please him, and to get back into her top form. The blackness in the rest of the room encompassed her, but she was only attuned to the words that were being drilled into her.  
  
Duty.  
  
Discipline.  
  
Obey.  
  
No mercy.  
  
They were quick on the screen, appearing like flashcards from hell, but it didn't matter. She was made to memorize and absorb things at a rapid rate. Max had failed once. She would not fail again.  
  
______________________  
  
  
A/N: Okay guys, I was going to write more to this, but I JUST got a call saying that my boyfriend's grandmother had passed away. I'm going to go ahead and post this the way it is. I will try do more next week, but I don't know how things are going to go.   
  
I'm sorry; I also didn't have this beta read either.   
  
And, as I said before, if this sucks, I apologize for that, too.  



	14. Washed Away

Disclaimer: Alrighty, this is the deal

Disclaimer: Alrighty, this is the deal. I have a job (that I totally am bored in-but I make okay money.) That job is NOT writing for DA…as you probably know (but how I wish to hell it was). I don't own any of the characters (except for Logan ….mmmmm-just try to convince me otherwise!), and I sure as hell don't make any money off of this-unless some of you would like to send me a check for all my hard work…??? ;) If so, email me, and we can talk! =P

A/N (Also known as Hobbes' blubbering): Okay, I know I've been serious lacking in updating, and I am sooo sorry. You all know that my boyfriend's grandmother died, and that took up a lot of the past 2 weeks. Then, I wasn't quite content with the way the last chapter came out. I wish I had 'fleshed' it out more than I did. Ah, well. Anyways, I LOVED the season finale. It had everything I like in it: romance, action, drama, angst, and a knife twisting surprise at the end. Just remember, my peeps, Max was captured in my fic first! So if anything I write mirrors at all what happens in the upcoming season, know that I have had this stuff planned out since I began writing this little story of mine!

Special Thanks to: BlackWolf, for his help with weapons (and I am going to need your help soon again, Blacky!), Zig for his beta-reading expertise, and a wonderful plot idea I used earlier in the story. To all my wonderful reviewers; I know I've said this before, but thank you all for your absolutely wonderful and inspiring reviews. You guys keep me going. J I can never thank you guys enough. J 

Okay, without any further blabbering, on to Chapter 14!

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The Enemy Within

Chapter 14

Washed Away

The truck came to a halt in front of them, shielding Original Cindy and Logan from the aim of several guns carried by the Manticore henchmen. Logan looked on in astonishment as Zack and Bling jumped out of the passenger side door, both armed with weapons that were slung dangerously from straps over their shoulders. 

A blinding blue light surrounded them all. For a minute, Logan thought he was dying, or possibly even dead already, before realizing it was only lightning that had lit the early morning sky. A deafening crash of thunder confirmed that it was just nature, and a not a bullet slicing through with deadly force. 

Over the loud rumble, Zack ordered Cindy to get Logan to the Aztek. 

"But Zack, what about y-" Original Cindy began, before she was cut off by gunshots. She flinched as Zack and Bling turned their backs and began returning the soldiers fire with their own. 

"Cindy, just get him out of here!" Zack shouted in a pause between gunfire and nodding toward Logan. There was no sense in arguing with him as he reloaded behind the armored vehicle. He was all soldier now. "You know where to meet later. Get outta here!" With that, he turned back toward there assailants and began firing again. Cindy turned and wheeled Logan as fast as she could toward his car, her breath coming in small gasps.

The sky flashed repeatedly and the thunder blended in with the explosions behind Logan and Cindy. A hard, fat drop of rain hit Logan on his arm, and for a minute, time seemed to stand still. He looked down and became fascinated with the newly wet spot on his skin. They were nearing the Aztek and all hell was breaking loose behind them, but he barely acknowledged it. It was as if his mind was overloaded with everything that had happened over the past couple of days, and now that tiny, innocent speck of rain that clung him was the breaking point. He was amazed at the way it seemed to sit on his skin, hanging for dear life on top of the hair of his left forearm. Raising his right hand ever so slowly, he brushed the drop away. With that gesture, an emptiness settled over him –in him- and he couldn't explain why. 

"Not good", he whispered to no one, and to everyone. He had shocked himself by speaking, as if saying the words aloud, as if by speaking he had somehow sealed a dark and deadly fate. 

"Logan! LOGAN!" Original Cindy practically shouted in his ear. He jerked in his chair and raised startled eyes at her. He hadn't realized that they were now standing beside the passenger door of the Aztek. Cindy was obviously expecting him to help her get himself in the vehicle as fast as humanly possible, yet he seemed in no hurry to get away from this hell hole. The rain was now pouring down on them, drenching and unrelenting in its mission to water the earth. His hair meshed to his head, and water clung to his lashes as he continued to stare unanswering at the woman in front of him.

"Look, Original Cindy ain't no weakling, but even she can't get your skinny white ass in this car without your help. Now come on!" Her words were meant to be strong and commanding, but her shaking voice belied her false bravado. She was desperately worried about leaving Zack and Bling here, but Logan was in no shape to take on a Manticore army right now, nor was he in any shape to drive himself out of here. It was obvious the stress was taking it's toll on him, as well as the medications he was still reeling from. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. 

The sound of gunshots were still raging in a rapid fire war behind them, pausing only briefly every now and then for reloading of weapons or interruption for the nauseating sound of a man screaming his final words. Logan glanced back at Zack and Bling, who were holding down the fort. 

"We can't leave them! They'll be slaughtered out there!" he shouted to Cindy.

"We have no choice! You are in no condition to go out there and play Cowboy and Indians!"

"They're going to die because they were saving me! I've got to help them-"

"Logan, you'll only slow them down. The best way to help them is leave" She knew was being harsh, but they didn't have time to argue about it. "Zack's trained for this. He will get them back to us. I'm not letting you go back there!" She opened up the Aztek's door, ending the debate. "Now help me get you in so we can get the hell outta here!" She grabbed him from under his arms and did most of the work as the worked to get him inside. 

Logan slowly climbed in, not only because he was still in agonizing pain, but also because he was reluctant to leave his best friend and Max's brother to fight his fight. But Cindy was right. He would only slow them down. He was a cripple who could barely see out of his swollen eyes and couldn't move without tears forming from the effort. 

When he was settled in his seat decently, Cindy shut his door. The sound was eerie; one minute, the sound of bullets, rain, wind, and thunder were deafening and all encompassing. The next, everything was muffled and distant, reminding him of listening to a tv show that was on in a different room. You could hear it, but it was a distant thought. Not real. Once again, Logan's stomach sank as if they door shutting was another omen that things were going to get much worse. He fought off the urge to open the door and go to Zack and Bling, never wishing more than he did now that his legs still worked. 

Behind him, Cindy raised the hatchback and threw the wheelchair in the back, before appearing again on the driver's side and jumping into the seat. Putting the car in reverse, she gave him a small, unsteady smile.

"Let's get you outta this bitch." She punched the gas, and they set off. He was amazed by the young woman beside him. She was no doubt scared out of her mind, but she was acting efficiently. They had wasted no more than two minutes-three at the most –after walking away from the now bloody scene behind them to driving off the premises. 

Yet, even while thinking those thoughts, Logan eyes stayed focused on the rearview mirror as they hauled ass through the parking lot, his gaze never leaving the two men that had saved his life. 

__________________

"Zack, I'm running out of ammo here!" Bling shouted. They had been in this hellacious battle for what seemed like a lifetime. Hiding behind the cover of the truck, Bling re-loaded as quick as possible. He was scared, and his breath was coming in heaves. In all of his life, he could never have predicted he would never be involved in such a scene as this. It was surreal, and it seemed almost as if he were not really here. He couldn't be participating in such an outrageous situation as this. He was a physical therapist, for Christ's sakes, not some warrior with blood on his hands. 

"Just keep going! They're wearing down!" Zack ordered, as he ducked behind the vehicle. Bling nodded and stepped around to cover Zack. 

Zack figured they were doing well. They had taken down two thirds of the men they had confronted. If they could just last another five minutes, then they would be able to set the explosives and haul ass out of here. Then this facility would be just a huge hole in the ground, and they would be on step closer to getting Max bac-

" ARRRRRRGGGGHHH," Bling screamed in agony and slumped to the ground. Zack looked up from reloading and immediately hurried over to the other man, dragging Bling behind the truck to shield him completely from their attackers. Bling grabbed his stomach in pain and just as quickly pulled his hand away before looking down in terrified horror. The torrential rain cleaned the blood that was flowing freely from the grotesque wound that where Bling's hand had briefly touched. 

"Damn." Bling sighed. He looked shocked and scared, yet at the same time, Bling seemed to accept that it was his fate. He raised his eyes toward Zack, and spoke quietly and clearly. "Get her back, Zack. You and Logan-get her back. Don't let this be in vain." Bling choked out as blood bubbled through his esophagus and spilled over. He forced himself to speak again. "Don't let them win…" One single teardrop slid down his cheek, before the precipitation washed it away. Bling rapidly blinked the rain and tears from his eyes two times. After blinking the third time his eyes just stayed open and he didn't blink anymore.

Zack swallowed hard as an unbridled fury slammed into him. With a primal rage he hadn't known since he was confined behind the walls of Manticore, he leapt and began firing on the men in front of him, the men responsible for taking the life of the man who lay on the pavement beside him. Unknowingly, Zack screamed animalistically as he showered the men with deadly force. He didn't know how long he lasted there; whether it was ten seconds or ten minutes, but he didn't stop until every last one of the bastards were dead. These men who had destroyed so many lives in a misguided sense of patriotism. Some of them had families waiting at home-wives they would never kiss again; sons and daughters they would never hug goodbye; mothers that would never have another opportunity to nag them about one thing or another. Others were loners-they had no one waiting at home every night and the closest family their fellow militants. Yet none of that mattered. Zack didn't discriminate in whom he mercilessly killed. All he knew is that each on of _them_ represented everything he had hated about himself all of his life. The fact that he was half human; the fact that he couldn't control his body's actions half the time; the fact that half his 'family' was hiding throughout the country, constantly running from a force that was always two steps behind; the fact that _he _could never have a normal life; the fact that the woman he loved was no doubt being tortured in the most inhumane ways to become an ideal soldier again. And most importantly at the moment, -the fact that the blood no longer pumped life into Bling. No, that blood only streamed out into a puddle mixed with blood and water.

"You killed us! You killed all of us." He cried out as he sprayed his deadly bullets into the hapless bodies of the soldiers. What he was saying shouldn't have made sense, but it did to Zack. In a way, he was dead before he was born-all of his brothers and sisters were. All doomed to a life no one should live. He kept shooting until he completely ran out of ammo, pausing only briefly in between rounds to reload. All were dead long before that, but he kept on firing, wanting to kill the ghosts of his past and present. He stopped only when he had no bullets left to fire at all. 

Finally, he took the small detonator out of his pocket and gripped it tightly in his left hand. Then he crouched down to pick up the lifeless body from the slippery concrete. He wasn't going to leave a fellow fallen soldier like that. Bling deserved a proper goodbye, not this. He unconsciously thanked the abilities that would allow him to carry the weight back to the cabin without any difficulty.

"I'm sorry." Zack said brokenly to the man he had known for less than two days, but had come to respect for his loyalty and courage. It was the first time in a long time-hell, maybe his whole life- that he could remember uttering those two words. He walked across the parking lot with the weight of the man in his arms and the weight of the world on his shoulders. Death permeated the soggy air, and lightning and thunder continued to crash down around him. Lightning and thunder were distant in the sky, and the rain eased up. The storm was coming to an end. Like all things. Everything came to an end sooner or later.

At the gate they had crashed through earlier, Zack pressed the button. The loud explosion didn't faze him and he kept walking without looking back. The mission was complete, but it had come with an expensive. He didn't even realize that the wetness on his face was caused by his own tears, not the drops of rain that he blamed it on.

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Cindy paced nervously by the window of the cabin. It had seemed like an eternity since she and Logan had left Zack and Bling to deal with the soldiers, and she was getting worried. Outside, the rain had stopped completely, but the sky was still gray and threatening. It would probably be like this all day, but that wasn't uncommon in Seattle. 

She glanced over at Logan, who was dazedly rolling himself back and forth in his wheelchair, lost in his own world. Lord knew what the man was thinking about, but she knew he sure had enough to ponder for the next decade. And that was with just thoughts about Max. She had bandaged him up as much as she could, but didn't give him any medicine. He no doubt still had some in his system, and if they guy never even took a Tylenol for the rest of his life, she couldn't blame him. She walked over to him and gave him a small smile.

"Original Cindy is going to make some tea. Want any?" she asked softly. He didn't bother looking up at her, and only responded by giving her an almost imperceptible shake of his head. She sighed and walked to the kitchen. She had to keep herself busy or she would go insane.

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Logan was thinking a million things at once, yet no one thought was prevalent in his mind. 

_...Max. Still with those monsters…_

_…Bling…Zack..._

_…How we gonna get her back?_

_…Where is Zack and Bling? They should be back by now…_

_…death…_

_…something's not right…_

_…oh, Max…I promise you, when this is all over, you will never have to hide again..I'll figure it out somehow…_

The door opened, and immediately Logan snapped out of his internal dwellings. Standing in the entry, a drenched, stony faced Zack stood. In his arms was a lifeless body. Bling's body.

"Oh my God." Logan breathed. Zack said nothing and walked to the couch. Gently he lowered Bling on it, not caring if any of the blood stained. Original Cindy returned to the living room at that moment and promptly dropped her glass. She made a helpless noise as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Nooooo," she cried and stumbled back into the kitchen. She cut her foot on the glass of the mug that had crashed to the floor in the process, but it seem to phase her in her attempts to leave

"He's dead." Zack told Logan flatly without looking at him. Then, as if sensing Logan might want to be alone with his best friend, he walked back out the front entrance. 

Slowly, Logan rolled over to where Bling's body lay. The man's eyes were still open, though they were unseeing and lifeless. Bling had sacrificed himself for Logan, and Logan had never even told Bling that he was his best friend, his confidante, and his motivator. Bling had been there for him when Logan had been so alone those first months after he had become paralyzed. If not for Bling encouraging him on, giving him confidence in himself and giving him hope, he would have no doubt put a bullet through his brain and ended it all. But Bling had saved him. He had saved him in so many ways, and now he had done it again. This time, though, Bling hadn't been able to save himself.

"DAMN IT!" Logan screamed at the top of his lungs, staring at Bling through watering eyes. "DAMN YOU! I'M NOT WORTH IT!" He heaved in a breath and turned toward the ceiling, as if speaking to God himself. "I'M NOT WORTH IT, DO YOU HEAR ME?" He choked back a sob, then finished limply, "I'm not worth it..." The tears were there, though Logan didn't allow them to spill over. He reached his hand over to Bling's eyes and gently shut them. Then, he simply sat by his best friend, not thinking, not speaking and barely breathing. Just being. And it hurt, because just being was more than Bling would do ever again.

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_…Max stared at the man. He didn't know she was there. In fact, she wasn't really there. She knew she was dreaming, she just wasn't sure of what. The man in front of her had spiky blond hair, and cerulean blue eyes that were hidden behind silver rimmed glasses and swollen eyelids. Whoever he was looked like he had spent the past few days through some long, drawn out torture. He was black and blue all over, and he was confined to a wheelchair. However, there was no denying he was handsome-even given the givens. Something tickled at the back of her mind, but she couldn't grasp on to whatever it was. She couldn't help feeling that she knew him, somehow. Like they had met before in a previous lifetime or something like that. She could almost remember. It was like she was reaching for the memory, but she was reaching with the wrong hand._

_The man was sad and the reason was obvious. In front of him, on a couch, lay a thick, bald black man. A man who was very obviously dead from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The guy in the wheelchair looked utterly hopeless and beaten-not just physically but spiritually as well. She walked over to him and lay a hand on his shoulder, as if to console him. He looked up at her-no through her- and whispered her name._

_"Max?"_

_"Logan" she rasped, and for one instant, she remembered everything. It all came back in a rush, but just as quickly, it was gone. And once it was, she couldn't get it back again._

_She lifted her hand and slowly backed away from the captivating stranger. He looked confused, but now had a small hopeful glint in his eye. That hadn' t been there before. And he was still staring through her. She was merely and observer in this lucid dream, not a participant, but he seemed to sense her somehow. She couldn't seem to back away quickly enough, yet she moved slow. She couldn't turn around. The man's eyes drew her in, haunted her, held her prisoner. And she was powerless in them..._

She awoke in a sweat, bolting upright in her rigid barrack. The darkness was thick, but her capabilities didn't fail her. She was able to see everything with ease in the small room she was in. 

Something was trying to tickle her memory, no doubt from dream she just had, but she was still medicated enough not to have the strength or the will to dwell on it. She lowered herself back down on her cot, struggling to remember the vision that must have had a profound effect on her, but she couldn't. Sleep started to beckon her again, and she was vulnerable to it because of the medication. She embraced it, and as she sunk back into it's welcoming arms, she had a small flicker of recognition.

"Logan." She whispered the name aloud, but it the word held no meaning for her. Then, she was under, and everything was forgotten. 

The name Logan was now a distant memory once again. One that had no room in X5-452's mind.

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A/N: Alrighty, let me know what you think. And review!! Please!! I love getting reviews. And I won't be such a slacker on this story anymore.

And REMEMBER! I had Max captured before the DA writers did, so THERE! ***sticks tongue out* **at writers =P


	15. Dawning

Disclaimer: Logan is mine (don't buy the hype about Cameron/Eglee owning him). Most of the rest are theirs- except Alec I am also laying claim to him. What a hottie! I am going to be the ham in a Logan/Alec sandwich. ;) I'm such a pervo...  
  
A/N: I know I haven't updated this story in months. Thanks to all of you who kept writing and telling me to get off my lazy ass and get on with it. I've been moving and was also promoted, so I have been hella busy. I don't have my Internet connection up at home, and that has taken a lot out of my online time. I'm kinda sick, so I'm goofing off at work today.   
  
Special Thanks to: Zig, for being my beta-thanks boy. BlackWolf, for all his weapons knowledge (you are the coolest). The people who read and review my story. You guys really do keep me going. Knowing that there are people out there who are truly interested in the ideas from my whacked out head is pretty damn cool. :)  
*****  
  
The Enemy Within  
Chapter 15  
Dawning  
  
Zack looked down at his grimy hands. Mud, leaves and blood covered the calloused skin, and black bags encircled his eyes. Even a superhuman marvel like himself was tired after the events of the past twenty-four hours. In the seemingly never-ending battle with Manticore, he had watched a man die to save him. Hell, he was responsible for that death. With all of his hyped up DNA, his extensive training and his superiority over most living things, he couldn't protect Bling. It should have been Zack. This wasn't Bling's war, it was the X-5's. Zack damned himself, not for the first time that long and grueling night.   
  
Zack had spent at least six hours plowing the earth for the roughly six-foot deep grave. Now, in the chilly and misty predawn of Seattle's morning, Zack's bare upper torso was slick with sweat, and streaked with dirt. As he had worked throughout the night, the final minutes of the shootout had played over and over again in Zack's like some demented nightmare. But reality always proved worse than a dream, because there was no waking up in the morning thanking God or whatever that it had just been a figment of your imagination. No - if it were a dream, it may haunt you throughout your morning shower, tickle your mind while brushing your teeth, and nag a bit during breakfast just be tossed forever into that trash can in your brain. There would be no waking up from this. Not for Bling, who was in an eternal sleep - and not for Zack, who would never forget the blank and scared look on Bling's face as he took in his final breath.  
  
Zack inhaled heavily and wiped a hand down his face, staring out into the nothingness of the dewy morning for just a bit longer. Finally, when he couldn't prolong it any further, he stood up to get Logan and Original Cindy so they could pay their last respects to their fallen friend. Off in the distance, a bird started singing it's cheerful morning tune, and the wind blew its friendly good morning to the earth. The sun peeked just barely through the trees. Zack damned himself on last time before damning the new day. It was time for the funeral.  
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It was the man again, the one she had dreamed of often in the past few days. The man with eyes of an angel. If she had believed in such mythology, she would have sworn that he was in fact some sort of heavenly entity. This time he wasn't sitting in a wheelchair, but standing before her on strong legs. Her confusion was clear on her face as she gingerly stepped toward him.   
  
"Why do I keep dreaming of you?" she asked.  
  
"You know why," he answered.  
  
"I think I- I know you," she said, the barest hesitation in her making the statement a question.  
  
"Yes. You do." He said simply. He would wait for her to recognize him, but the pain he was feeling at her inability to do so was apparent on his face.  
  
"How? You seem so familiar, but everything is a fog. I can't remember anything. Why?" As she spoke, her voice hitched slightly and became panicky. "Why can't I remember a damn thing?"  
  
"Think."  
  
"I don't want your cryptic answers! Tell me!"  
  
He smiled. This was the Max he knew.   
  
"Think, Max." he whispered, and his already near face grew closer.   
  
Her eyes grew wide at the use of the name. Not just a name, her name! That was her name! For a second, she didn't recognize it, but then it reached right out and grabbed her. A small smile formed on her lips as she remembered more...  
  
"Logan?" she spoke, almost as if she testing the word out to see if it sounded right.  
  
It was joyous, being able to remember something; regaining a tiny part of herself that she hadn't realized was gone.   
  
"Welcome back." Logan whispered and slowly closed the distance between them. He caught her lips and coaxed them open briefly, savoring the taste of her. When he lifted his head, he stared down at her with an intense look on his face. His voice was hurried, as if some sort of invisible hourglass was running and they didn't have much time left.   
  
"Oh my God, Logan! I'm starting to remember! Original Cin-"   
  
One minute Max was standing there in front of him, talking to him-the next, she was gone.  
  
The dream was over.  
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452 woke abruptly at the sound of steps in the room. In the early morning darkness she could just barely make out the shape of a man. She leapt off the bed and stood to attention, however that was a bad idea. The room spun at an alarming rate and she stumbled backward. The man's arm reached out to steady her and encircled her waist.   
  
"Careful 452. You still need some time to recover." Lydecker's voice softly chided as he guided her back to her cot. His hands were soothing-almost fatherly-as he stroked her hair off her forehead. She as if his helping her should have repulsed her and she wasn't quite sure why.   
  
"Sorry, sir." 452 answered without emotion.   
  
"No need to be sorry, soldier. Just take it easy. Within a week, you should be back up to working order, and we can get you back to your daily routine. I know your eager to get out of bed, but we must let your body recover fully. Your last mission took a lot out of you."  
  
She nodded her head in acknowledgement. Lydecker had told her about that mission. She had been sent to do away with a Manticore nuisance- some underground reporter in the Pacific Northwest who had been trying to expose Manticore. Something had happened on that mission, and she had failed and had suffered quite a head trauma, as well as going into cardiac arrest. Her heart appeared to be fine now, but as a result of the head injury, she now had amnesia. They didn't know when or even if her memory would ever return fully.   
  
Quite honestly, her memory lost frightened her, but she didn't wallow in her fear. She was a soldier- a professional- and didn't have time to sulk in her sorrows. She was strong and trained quite well, and now her intention was to fully recover physically and complete that botched mission. X-452 never left anything incomplete.  
  
Lydecker gave her a small, tight smile, and checked her vitals. He said nothing to her while he did this and she didn't initiate any sort of conversation. She wasn't to speak unless spoken too, after all. He was her commanding officer.   
  
He grabbed her chart and wrote something down, then looked back at her.   
  
"You are doing excellent, 452. Coming along quite nicely. Just keep resting for now, and regain your strength. At this rate your body is healing, I think you can be back on your routine in 2-3 days, not the week I had anticipated." As he spoke, he began preparing a needle with some medicine- a muscle-relaxer of some sort. He flicked the excess of the end, and injected the substance into his soldier's vein at the crook of her arm. 452 winced only slightly, but kept her voice devoid of any emotion.   
  
"I am looking forward to training again, and finishing that mission. I'm sorry I failed you the first time. I will not fail again."  
  
"I know, 452. You were always one of my best." Pride tinged his voice as he spoke, and with one final glance down at her, he left.  
  
452 stared up at the ceiling above her and gave a small sigh. She felt her eyes begin to flutter closed as the medicine began taking its effect. All of a sudden a memory came rushing back at her out of the depths of her mind, and she whispered two words aloud. She felt compelled, as if she were finishing a thought that she hard started before. Yet for the life of her, she had no idea why or what she was really saying. What she had said sounded biblical, but that made no sense. She didn't believe in theology. Besides that, she had a feeling that the words weren't what she all she needed to remember, but only part of something- part of a name? That made no sense...  
  
"Original sin?" She whispered again. A pain seared her head as she spoke and blinded her with its intensity. She hissed a breath out, but kept on searching for the rest of that memory. She felt so close; right on the brink of remembering something important. Then it came, and she remembered everything for one brief second. Then the medicine and Manticore won once again as sleep sucked her back down into its dreary and mindless depths.  
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"Max!" Logan eyes flew open as he looked around. For just a moment he was distorted, and the small cabin's interior was unfamiliar, then reality reared its ugly head. Just a dream. Him and Max together was just a dream, the feel of his lips on hers, the feel of his hands in her hair. All just a damn dream. He both welcomed and feared sleep- the dreams themselves were wonderful, and they felt so real- like somehow he and Max were linked through some miracle of fate, destiny, the stars or whatever scripted this funny drama called life. But when he awoke, it was like losing her all over again, because he could still smell her, taste her, feel her for the briefest of moments afterward, just to have it fade away and leave a pit of nausea in his stomach.  
  
Absently, Logan rubbed at the crick in his neck and looked around disgustedly at the cottage. He doubted that once all this was over, if he even came out of it alive, that he would ever come back to the cottage. No good memories could ever absolve the bad ones this place now carried. At this point, he could see this place go down in flames and he wouldn't give a damn. A heavy hand dropped on his shoulder, and Logan caught a sick whiff of sweat, blood, earth and death mixed in with grief. He may not care much for Zack, but he had to admire him. Of course, he would never say that aloud to anyone, especially the man in front of him, but the guy had such an admirable loyalty about him.  
  
"It's ready. I've already told Cindy. We get this over with then get on the road. We can still make good time today." Zack said gruffly, and not waiting for an answer, walked away.  
  
Logan sighed and straightened his silver framed glasses. Slowly, lethargically, he began wheeling himself for the front door of the cabin. He needed to pay his last respects to his best friend. His only friend besides Max.  
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At the makeshift gravesite, the trio circled around the mound of dirt before them. Original Cindy had hand picked some flowers from the cabin's small garden and placed them on Bling's grave. No one spoke, and all three were silently blaming themselves for the death of the man beneath the earth's surface. A tear streamed down Cindy's face as she stood there, then two and three more followed before she began sobbing in full. She stifled a sob with her right hand before turning around and stumbling away. Logan didn't even notice. He just sat there, eyes unfocused and bleary as he thought of at least a hundred ways he could have done things differently and spared his friend's life. But none of them mattered now, of course, because it was too late. It was too damn late, and Bling was dead. Logan knew if he lived a million years, he would carry that burden on his shoulders, and his shoulders alone. Bling had saved Logan's life, and in doing so had paid the ultimate price. A price that Logan would forever be indebted to, and ashamed of.  
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Zack couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand seeing Cindy cry, and now he couldn't take the look on Logan's, so with a stony face, he left Logan alone and headed back for the cabin. He supposed he should check on Original Cindy, but he couldn't face her now. He knew that even if they didn't blame him directly, that he was at fault for this. Guilt and sorrow weighed heavily on Zack on shoulders, and he felt like Atlas. He couldn't afford to grieve over Bling, or play the blame game with himself. He had a mission to complete; Maxie was still alive- he couldn't bear to think otherwise- and in the hands of those bastards, no doubt being re-indoctrinated into Manticore's sick system. If they could hurry, they had a good chance of saving her without too much damage. So, no matter how much he wanted to lick his wounds and hide right now, he couldn't. He couldn't because he was already responsible for one death, and by God, he wouldn't be responsible for another.  
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Original Cindy wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Not long after she had left the somber gathering, she had felt the bile in her throat rise up and win it's sick battle with her body. Grabbing a hold of the nearest tree, she gave in and vomited repeatedly, before dry heaving till her ribs hurt. Finally- thankfully- her body seemed content and stopped. And, as much as she hated to say it, she felt better.   
  
And she began getting angry.  
  
Wrapping her arms around herself, she began making her way back toward the cottage. These bastards had killed Bling. The bastards who had Max had done this. And even though Manticore may have won a battle, they could still win this war. They got Logan back, didn't they? Just the three of them. And if they could get Logan back, they could Max back.   
  
Stepping up onto the porch of the cabin, Cindy paused and looked back. The sun was shining in full now, and the morning was embracing the day. It was almost ironic how bright and alive everything was, considering that they had just put Bling to rest.   
  
Cindy too a deep breath and one more, final tear seeped out in memory of Bling. She swiped at the wetness and determination settled over her. She didn't even realize she meant to speak until she heard her own voice.  
  
"We're gonna get you back, boo. We won't let them win, so don't you, okay? Original Cindy never makes a promise she can't keep- especially not to her best friend." When she was done, she gave a small smile, the opened the front door and went in to get her stuff. They had a job to do and needed to get on the road as soon as possible.  
___________________  
  
A little over an hour later, Logan started the Aztek. Original Cindy sat beside him, and Zack in the back. Driving away from the cabin- away from death- he began to feel a little better. By the time he turned on the long stretch of highway that would start their long journey to Wyoming, he felt empowered.   
They made an unlikely A-Team- a superhuman soldier with extraordinary powers, a lesbian with miles of attitude, and a mere mortal with legs that didn't work but a mind that performed on overtime. They were all bound together with a deep love for Max- a sister, a best friend, and the love of a life.  
  
Ahead, the road loomed long and endless, the white line in the middle leading them to a path not known. There were twists and turns, and obstacles unforeseen, but together they would stick it out and make it through. They would just take it one mile at a time, one day at a time.  
  
For now, that's all Logan was sure of. But, for now, it was enough.   
  
  
*****  
  
A/N: Okay, I hope this didn't suck donkey balls. I am not having a beta read this, and I didn't do a read over myself (I never like what I write). Once again, I am sorry about the long sabbatical from this story....  
  
Oh yeah, someone wrote a review talking about what an unlikely A-Team they made, and I liked that terminolgy, so I used it in this chapter. Hope I didn't offend anyone!! :)  
  
  
  
  
  



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